Billy Eppler, good luck.
You're gonna need it.
After seven weeks of constant rejection and utter embarrassment, Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson and the Mets are trying to wipe away the proverbial egg off their faces by handing their unwanted General Manager's job to former LA Angels GM Billy Eppler.
Eppler, who is best known for building teams that didn't win in Anaheim for five seasons, was offered the Mets general manager's job according to numerous sources. According to Jon Heyman and Jeff Passon, Eppler is taking the job.
His naming as GM ends what has been a ridiculous, exhaustive search for a front office executive.
The Mets opened this search looking for a President of Baseball Operations, and failed to lure any candidates.
Billy Beane said 'no.'
Theo Epstein said 'no.'
David Stearns wasn't allowed out of his contract.
Matt Arnold wasn't allowed out of his deal either.
The Mets then tried to change course, again, forgoing finding a President of Baseball Operations for the second straight off-season, instead settling for a General Manager. The results were the same.
Boston Red Sox executive Raquel Ferriria told them no.
San Francisco GM Scott Harris said, 'Thanks, but no thanks."
Michael Girsch of the St. Louis Cardinals shook his head nah.
Jean Afterman, a Yankees executive, declined to interview.
On top of that Sandy Alderson put forth a stupid statement in the last week, blaming New York City for being too much of a burden on candidates. Yeah, someone like Theo Epstein, who won in Boston and Chicago was scared of New York City. Nice try Sandy.
The fact is nobody wanted this job for many reasons. And one of the last of them had anything to do with New York.
There is a perception that Alderson is going to have a say in baseball operations, even if he claims over and over again that he wants to focus on the "business" side of things. Alderson's own son is a front office executive too, which probably didn't sit well with candidates.
Then, you have an owner in Steve Cohen, who despite his deep pockets, is a virtual novice, and an owner who has a proclivity to be a distraction by picking fights with the press and fans on Twitter.
Not to mention one of the most divisive politicians in the country, former New Jersey Governor and gasbag, Chris Christie, is on his Board of Directors.
Oh, and let us not forget the Mets have a 10-year $341 million commitment on a shortstop, Francisco Lindor, who was putrid in his first year in New York.
They are committed for $48 million over the next two years to steroid user Robinson Cano.
There are legit questions about Jacob deGrom's health and future as ace of the pitching staff after the Mets tried to hide an elbow injury from public knowledge last season.
There is no minor league depth to speak of.
The Mets are also coming off an inaugural year of the Cohen regime where two executives were fired. One, Jared Porter was dismissed after a month for sexual harassment allegations. The other, Zach Scott, was canned just recently after a DUI from late August.
Let's be fair, the Mets are not a great situation to be in for anyone.
So at the end of the day, and after nearly 20 candidates, the Mets search came down to a lawyer in Adam Cromie, and a former baseball executive - turned agent in Eppler.
Cromie was out of baseball for over four years, but the Mets were high on him --- or at least they were reported to be high on him --- until they weren't.
Instead they go with Eppler as GM. Eppler certainly has experience. He worked with the Yankees for nine years under Brian Cashman. He was the Director of Professional Scouting in 2005, and became the Assistant to the GM in 2011.
Cashman loves the guy, saying in the New York Post, "Anybody who knows me knows my relationship with him. I was lucky to have him working with us. He guided us greatly. I know how good Billy really is. … His name should pop into anything that pops up. He’s that talented.”
That's a solid endorsement.
However Eppler's time with the LA Angels was not as plentiful. Here is a guy who had Mike Trout, one of the best players in the sport, and in five years as GM, he couldn't build a playoff team around him. A lot of the blame might be pinned to meddling owner Artie Moreno, but Eppler went out and signed guys like Justin Upton and Anthony Rendon who failed to produce.
The one guy he did sign that became a star was Shohei Ohtani. However even with all the star power the Angels possessed, they never made the playoffs, and never won more than 80 games in a season.
As a result, Eppler was fired in 2020.
The Mets will say all the right things. They'll claim that Eppler was on their radar for a long time, that he was a top candidate. The facts are otherwise. The Mets had to give the job to someone. Someone had to eventually want to take it.
And then there is the David Stearns rumors that hoover over all of this.
While the Milwaukee Brewers prevented the Mets from interviewing Stearns for President of Baseball Ops, there is a sense that should he leave at the end of 2022, he could be on the Mets radar again next off-season. If that is the case, what does that mean for Eppler? Is he in a one-and-done scenario? Will he be forced down the throat of whomever Cohen/Alderson select to be the President of Baseball Ops come 2023?
It's a very bizarre story that hangs over all of this, and its all of the Mets own creation.
Oh, and the first order of business for Eppler is to work with Alderson in finding a manager, and begin signing free agents.
Good luck Billy, you'll need it.
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