Billy Eppler was the general manager of the New York Mets when he was fired, and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred declared on Friday that he would not be allowed to play again until 2024. Eppler broke the injured list regulations in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which led to the one-year suspension.
The World Series in 2024 will mark his eligibility to return to Major League Baseball. He might even ask for Manfred’s permission to be reinstated early.
Upon conducting an investigation, MLB discovered that Eppler had mishandled the league’s injury list and had even manufactured ailments, replete with supporting paperwork, in order to get incorrect injury list placements for the team during his two years as general manager.
After it was thought that Eppler would stay on as the organization’s general manager under David Stearns, the new president of baseball operations, he abruptly left the franchise after the 2023 season.
The reason for Eppler’s abrupt exit was the league’s inquiry into his behavior.
MLB came to the conclusion that Eppler took his own decisions without consulting the ownership or any other members of the Mets organization.
The Mets were able to hold onto players that they could have lost to other clubs by manipulating the injury listings.
Following an embarrassingly poor 2023 season, Eppler’s first season as general manager saw the Mets win 101 games. The Mets barely made the playoffs, finishing in fourth place in the National League East despite having a payroll of nearly $374 million. Even worse, their fourth-place performance cost them a record luxury tax of almost $101 million as a result of that salary, making the total cost of their year about $475 million.