MLB: New York Mets already have their General Manager and he’s a former Yankees

While the New York Mets wanted a new Chief of Baseball Operations This month, your ideal candidate combined the acumen of scouts with an analytical mindset and, more importantly, a familiarity with the big-market atmosphere of New York City.

Billy eppler He checked those boxes for the Mets, who on Monday went on to name the former Angels general manager as their 15th full-time general manager in franchise history, according to a source:

The Mets did not confirm the deal because it is not official yet, but a source said the two parties were working on the final details of the contract and completing a background check. Once that work is done, Eppler should become GM as soon as this week.

Eppler, 46, comes to the Mets from William Morris Endeavor, a relatively new talent agency looking to break into the baseball market. But unlike former Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Eppler is not a life agent who goes to the other side of the negotiating table.

He has spent most of his career at the helm of the office, primarily as the general manager of the Angels from 2015-20 and as a scout and executive for the Yankees from 2004 to 2015.

In Anaheim, Eppler was best known for the outstanding contracts he negotiated, including his successful bid to lure Shohei Ohtani to the Angels despite his inability to outperform other teams in that quest:

Eppler also signed Mike Trout to a record 12-year, $ 426.5 million extension and Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $ 245 million free agent contract. But he signed a multitude of veterans to smaller deals that didn’t work out for the Angels, who finished fourth in four of GM’s five seasons.

Eppler also hired former Mets manager Mickey Callaway as his pitching coach after the Mets fired Callaway, who subsequently lost his job with the Angels due to allegations of sexual misconduct. The Angels fired Eppler after the 2020 season.

Before his stint in Anaheim, Eppler worked as a scout, director of scouting and deputy general manager for the Yankees, learning from veteran general manager Brian Cashman.

In terms of baseball, his experience is complete; Eppler was prominent in the scouting community during his time with the Yankees, while he was well regarded for his efforts to build an analysis team during his time with the Angels.

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Both markets also gave Eppler significant experience dealing with the media crush that will await him in New York. As in the Bronx and Anaheim, Eppler will lead a Mets team with a lot of money at its disposal, under one owner, Steve Cohen, who has expressed a desire to do whatever it takes to win. However, it remains to be seen exactly how much autonomy Eppler will have in Flushing.

Rafael Martinez

I am fond of the King of Sports, especially the Boston Red Sox in MLB and in general all of Mexican baseball. This profession has given me the opportunity to cover major events such as the Caribbean Series, LMB All Star, LMP (uninterrupted since 2009), signings of important players. I had the chance to attend the 2013 World Classic in Arizona, USA, albeit as a fan. Apart from this beautiful sport, I love basketball, where I have also narrated games and even an NBA friendly 10 years ago, but I carry baseball in my veins. Bachelor of Communication Sciences from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) , from which I graduated in 2011. I was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa and started in the world of sports journalism in 2004 in the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán, where I was a baseball columnist and reporter at the same time. In January 2009 I came to El Debate as a journalist reporter and it was almost six years (in the first stage), until in November 2014 I emigrated to the radio providing my services in Línea Directa-Grupo RSN. My cycle there ended in July 2019 and within days, El Debate gave me another opportunity to work and opened the doors for me again. That is how I came to Al Bat, where I have been since 2019 as a web journalist.

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