Billy Eppler was the New York Mets’ general manager in 2022 and 2023.
He took the Mets to a 101-win season in the former, but failed to get them to the postseason in the latter and left the organization when owner Steven Cohen brought in David Stearns and gave him the president of baseball operations gig.
When Eppler left the team, he was being investigated by MLB for improper use of the injured list.
The results of that investigation arrived on Friday, and the outcome dictated that Eppler is suspended through the 2024 campaign.
“Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that former Mets GM Billy Eppler has been placed on the Ineligible List through the conclusion of the 2024 World Series for violation of injured list rules in 2022-23,” New York sports reporter Joel Sherman tweeted.
Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that former Mets GM Billy Eppler has been placed on the Ineligible List through the conclusion of the 2024 World Series for violation of injured list rules in 2022-23.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 9, 2024
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Eppler “improperly assigned players to the injured list during his tenure as Mets GM, fabricated injuries and submitted false documentation to those ends.”
MLB wouldn’t specify examples of this behavior, but also stated that these decisions were made by Eppler and not influenced by the ownership or any other external agent.
Eppler, who was cooperative during the investigation, won’t be able to have a position with any club until after the 2024 World Series is completed.
Despite failing to deliver postseason glory, Eppler did have a solid trade deadline last year, got rid of some aging veterans, and helped replenish the Mets’ farm system with top-notch prospects such as Luisangel Acuna, Marco Vargas, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, and more.
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