The New York Mets leadership has had quite the overhaul this past week with the resignation of 2022 National League Manager of the Year Buck Showalter on Sunday and the hiring of David Stearns to be the president of baseball operations on Monday.
While those changes were expected by many, today, the blue and orange got quite the shock.
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Mets general manager Billy Eppler decided to resign on Thursday.
Eppler was expected to remain the team’s general manager despite owner Steve Cohen handing over baseball operations to Stearns.
David Stearns will get a clean slate
“I wanted David to have a clean slate, and that meant me stepping down,” Eppler said following his resignation announcement. “I hope for nothing but the best for the entire Mets organization.”
Eppler’s resignation comes after the Mets just finished one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history that saw them go from World Series contenders while boasting the highest payroll in baseball to being the biggest sellers at the deadline and finishing 75-87.
Eppler was initially hired in late 2021 after the Mets fired Zack Scott, who was the interim general manager at the time, due to being charged with a DWI. Scott had replaced Jared Porter, fired just 38 days after being hired following a report that he had sent explicit text messages to a female reporter.
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How this could affect the Mets offseason
With Eppler now gone, Cohen and Stearns will not only have to fill a massive void in the front office, but it could affect who signs with the blue and orange this offseason.
Eppler has extensive experience in signing Japanese talent; he was the assistant general manager of the Yankees when the blue and white signed Masahiro Tanaka to the largest contract ever of a posted Japanese player.
Then, as the general manager of the Angels, he signed Shohei Ohtani, who has blossomed into the face of baseball, before signing Kodai Senga this past offseason as general manager of the Mets.
With the San Diego native now gone from the organization, the Mets’ chances of signing both Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who many have as the Blue and Orange’s top targets this offseason, have taken quite the hit.
Hopefully, for the Flushing Faithful, the Mets can still construct a roster to compete in 2024 without having Eppler at the helm.