The stunning departure of Mets general manager Billy Eppler has taken another turn.
A source confirmed to the Daily News that Major League Baseball is looking into Eppler. The inquiry stemmed from injury list manipulation and has the potential to become a full-scale league investigation.
Eppler resigned as the Mets general manager Thursday afternoon with two years remaining on his contract. It was a stunning turn of events given that Eppler had become a trusted executive of owner Steve Cohen. David Stearns, the club’s new president of baseball operations, had talked highly of Eppler only three days ago. The fact that the Mets kept him in the general manager role after a disastrous season seemed like a vote of confidence.
Stearns was relying on Eppler to help get him up to speed with the baseball operations staff.
“I’m looking forward to working with Billy,” Stearns said Monday at Citi Field. “I think it’s going to take us, frankly, like weeks and months — not only with Billy but with the entire front office — to truly understand what the breakdown of responsibilities will be and where we can all use our best skill sets to help the organization. So we’ll have a better understanding of exactly how that works, probably in the new year.”
It’s not clear what constitutes IL manipulation in this specific case, but teams have long used “phantom” transactions to hold roster spots open for players who are struggling. It’s not uncommon for teams to place a player without options on the IL with a vague injury like inflammation or soreness in order to give them a break and avoid designating them for assignment.
Once again, the Mets may be at the center of a scandal. Eppler was hired after Jared Porter and Zack Scott were fired in 2021.
Porter, the first GM hire made after Cohen took control of the team from the Wilpon family, was found to have sexually harassed a foreign reporter while working for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Cohen swiftly fired him in January 2021, only 38 days after he was hired.
Scott was elevated to acting general manager after Porter’s firing but was arrested for DWI in September and fired in November. He was acquitted of charges in January 2022.
In between the firings of Porter and Scott was the investigation by the league into former Mets manager Mickey Callaway. Then the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, Callaway was found to have violated the league’s policies on sexual harassment and placed on the restricted list. Callaway was hired by the Angels when Eppler was still serving as the general manager in Anaheim.
Allegations of sexism and workplace toxicity triggered Cohen to hire white-shoe law firm WilmerHale to conduct a full investigation into the staff he inherited.
The 48-year-old Eppler’s resignation was announced by the team.
“I wanted David to have a clean slate and that meant me stepping down,” Eppler said in a statement. “I hope for nothing but the best for the entire Mets organization.”
Cohen thanked Eppler for his work over the last two seasons.
“Billy Eppler led this team through a 101-win season and postseason berth last year and he will be missed,” Cohen said. “We accepted Billy’s resignation today as he decided it is in everyone’s best interest to fully hand over the leadership of Baseball Operations to David Stearns. On behalf of the Mets organization, we wish him all the best.”
