“It’s crazy Billy Eppler got singled out" - Ex-Mets pitcher calls out MLB's double standards following sanctions on former GM

For former Mets GM Billy Eppler, the 2023 season could not end soon enough. Despite his esteemed position at the helm of baseball's highest-spending club, the lacklustre performance was nothing short of a massive disappointment.

As the season ended in early October, Eppler parted ways with the team. The announcement of his departure came just three days after Mets owner Steve Cohen brought on former Brewers GM David Stearns as the team's new president of baseball operations.

"Former Mets GM Billy Eppler Suspended For All Of 2024 Season After It Was Found He Fabricated Injuries To Open Up Roster Spots @ChrisKlemmer" - Barstool Baseball

As if things were not bleak enough for Eppler, the 48-year old was suspended for all of the 2024 season on February 9. According to league sources, Eppler had been "fabricating injuries" to manipulate the New York Mets roster by improperly designating about a dozen players to the IL fraudulently in 2023.

While it was not as if Billy Eppler was particularly popular with Mets fans, one of his former players has rushed to his defense. Tommy Hunter, a reliever who threw for the Mets from 2021 until 2023 before announcing his retirement. Hunter told the New York Post:

"“It’s kind of mind-blowing. I had multiple back [issues] and no one from MLB talked to me. I don’t know what their strategy was. It’s no secret what goes on [with the phantom IL], so to go after one person seems unfair. I feel bad for Billy. … He didn’t do anything different than any other GM I’ve been around.”

Per Hunter's estimation, Eppler is no different from any other GM in the league who uses less-than-honest tactics to open up spots on the lineup. Prior to his role with the Mets, Eppler served as the general manager for the Los Angeles Angels from 2015 until 2020.

Billy Eppler suspension evokes a new discussion about managerial ethics

Eppler is the first manager to be disciplined for an infraction of this nature. However, based on what we have seen from MLB boss Rob Manfred in recent years, it is unlikely that he will be the last.

After the Mets finished with a record of 75-87, placing them 29 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, fans were hoping to see things turn around. While Billy Eppler is no longer with the team, a charge of this kind may be an unsettling omen ahead of the new season.