Why did the Mets’ Billy Eppler resign?
By the looks of things, the New York Mets will have some fixing to do in their front office even before they can consider what to do about the roster.
With the dismissal and departure of two central executives, the team’s recently appointed president now faces yet another tough task, while trying to build a team that can compete in the National League.
New York Mets’ Billy Eppler resigns
According to a team announcement, New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler resigned on Thursday afternoon. The news comes just days after the franchise fired manager Buck Showalter.
“I wanted [president of baseball operations David Stearns] to have a clean slate and that meant me stepping down,” Eppler said in a very short statement. “I hope for nothing but the best for the entire Mets organization.” For the purpose of context, the Mets ended this past season with a record of 74-87 which meant they finished 30 games off the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and 10 games out of a wild-card spot. Showalter, who was last year’s NL Manager of the Year was entering his third year after guiding the team to a 101-61 finish last season and it’s first playoff appearance in seven seasons. Where Eppler is concerned, he was appointed to the post of general manager in 2021.
What went wrong with the Mets?
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There is no way to ignore the fact that Eppler was responsible for a number of trades at the trade deadlines this summer, and among them were several stars. Players such Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Tommy Pham, and David Robertson all departed. Interestingly, though Eppler denied any talk of a “rebuild” at the time, he reportedly told Scherzer that he didn’t believe the team could be competitive before the 2025 or 2026 seasons “at the earliest.” It does not help that the Mets started this season with the largest parole in the league at $331 million.
“Billy Eppler led this team through a 101-win season and postseason berth last year and he will be missed,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. “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.” Stearns, a former Milwaukee Brewers executive was hired in the fall.