Unpacking what just happened with the Mets, Billy Eppler, and the MLB investigation
Earlier this week, Mets general manager Billy Eppler and new president of baseball operations David Stearns began the work of combining their lists of candidates for the team’s managerial vacancy, in addition to other key jobs in the organization.
There were also practical considerations to deal with, like who would work in which office. According to a Mets employee, Stearns told Eppler to keep the big room; he would work in a smaller office nearby. They were ready to move forward together as a team.
Then came the shocking news that Major League Baseball has opened an investigation into Eppler for improper use of the injured list (the investigation was first reported by the New York Post, and SNY can confirm it through league sources).
The probe began as the result of a tip by a source who remains anonymous, leaving many in the industry to wonder who dropped the dime on Eppler. That parlor game will go on for quite a while.
The exact nature of the allegation against Eppler is not clear -- but in general, according to multiple executives with other clubs, manipulation of the IL, or “phantom IL” as a roster strategy was extremely widespread 15-20 years ago. MLB has tried to crack down on it in recent years, and execs have differing opinions on how widespread it remains. The Mets did use the phantom IL this past season, according to multiple sources.
When the investigation came to light, Eppler stepped down from a GM job that he would otherwise have retained for the foreseeable future.
Although Steve Cohen only hired Eppler in late 2021 after many other candidates either did not want to work for the Mets or weren’t allowed to interview with them, the owner developed a warm and close relationship with his GM. Cohen and Eppler spoke constantly, and Cohen was very happy with the work Eppler did in restocking the farm system during last July’s trade deadline selloff.
During his search for a president of baseball operations, which led him to Stearns, Cohen made clear that any incoming executive would have to be able to work with Eppler, who remained under contract for two more seasons.
If the Stearns/Eppler partnership didn’t work, Cohen would have eventually re-evaluated it. Stearns was the primary voice in baseball operations. But the plan was to try it.
Now Cohen can only hope that his carousel of top baseball executives -- since he arrived in 2020, Cohen has appointed Sandy Alderson, Jared Porter, Zack Scott, Eppler and Stearns to the top post -- will end with his most recent hire.
Though he had hoped, all the way into this week, that Eppler would stick around, too.
