The New York Mets are living up to their reputation. Well, at least their former General Manager is. Billy Eppler has been given a one-year suspension from Major League Baseball and all league activities following an investigation that revealed he lied about player injuries. He will be placed on MLB’s Ineligible List until the 2024 World Series.
MLB made this announcement after discovering that Eppler had “improperly” utilized the Injured List, including intentionally fabricating injuries. They state that both Eppler and the Mets fully cooperated with the investigation and believe that team owner Steve Cohen was unaware of Eppler’s actions. (Yeah, right.)
Billy Eppler, the former General Manager of the Mets, has been banned from baseball for one year due to his fabrication of injuries. (Major League Baseball)
Billy Eppler was expected to continue as the Mets’ GM this year, sharing the role with newly appointed Team President David Stearns. However, he abruptly resigned a few days later, causing a frenzy among Mets fans and sparking speculation in the baseball world. It turns out that both Eppler and the Mets had become aware of MLB’s investigation, with sources suggesting that Cohen would have fired Eppler if he hadn’t resigned voluntarily.
When players are placed on the Injured List, it means they are still under the team’s control and cannot be traded. It also allows teams to add additional players to the official 40-day roster, which can be useful if a player is expected to take a long time to recover or if the team wants to try out other players in the meantime.
Those who follow baseball in recent years are aware of the “Phantom IL” list, which seems to be increasingly used by teams. Interestingly, in 2019, San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Holland openly admitted to faking an injury and expressed confusion about being moved to the bullpen, claiming it was a decision made by the Front Office. Unsurprisingly, the Giants quickly got rid of him. MLB never investigated Holland’s remarks.
It is unclear what specifically led Commissioner Rob Manfred to single out Eppler, who took over as Mets GM in 2021 after his two predecessors were fired for off-the-field issues. MLB’s investigation focused on Eppler’s misuse of the 2022 and 2023 IL list, during which they acquired pitching All-Stars Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Verlander, in particular, found himself on the IL list before eventually being traded.
In a statement released shortly after MLB banned their former GM Eppler, the Mets declared the matter closed and stated that they are moving forward. They will have plenty of other things to focus on as they compete in the National League East against the favored Atlanta Braves and the resurgent Philadelphia Phillies.
According to the Source outkick.com