Billy Eppler, the former general manager of the Mets, has been placed by MLB on the ineligible list through the end of the 2024 World Series as of this Friday. Since October 2023, Eppler has been the subject of an investigation into the misuse of the ineligible list in 2022 and 2023.
“Improper use of Injured List placements, including the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper Injured List placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons,” is what MLB found Eppler guilty of.
The MLB Department of Investigations interviewed more than thirty people and reviewed pertinent paper and electronic data with the full cooperation of the Mets organisation and Eppler.
The Mets issued the following statement after MLB revealed its conclusions on Friday:
“The Mets have been informed of the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s investigation. With Billy Eppler’s resignation on October 5, 2023, and with David Stearns leading the Baseball Operations team, the Mets consider the matter closed and will have no further comment.”
After an anonymous letter to MLB claimed that Eppler was misusing the injured list, he quit in October. Owner Steve Cohen gave Stearns his resignation shortly after, leaving the position in his capable hands.
“Billy Eppler led this team through a 101-win season and postseason berth last year and he will be missed,” 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.”
The team that Eppler managed made it to the wild-card round of the playoffs the previous year, but in 2023 they finished fourth in the NL East and had a 75-87 record. After a dismal season, the team made significant changes, bringing in prospects in exchange for veterans like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, investing in the future, and eventually hiring Stearns as its first president of baseball operations.