Report: Mets Tab Billy Eppler as New General Manager

After a long and thus far fruitless search to find its new general manager, the Mets appear to have landed on a suitable candidate.

New York is reportedly finalizing a deal to hire former Billy Eppler as its new GM, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had originally reported the team had offered Eppler the job earlier on Monday. Eppler previously held the same position with the Angels from 2016 to 2020 before being fired with one year remaining on his contract.

The Mets had reportedly been turned down by a number of other big-name candidates this offseason, including former Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, A's executive vice president Billy Beane and Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Under Eppler, the Angels suffered five straight losing seasons, the second-longest streak in franchise history. The team struggled to develop pitching during his tenure, though he was able to successfully recruit Shohei Ohtani in 2018 and sign three-time MVP Mike Trout to a contract extension in 2019 that keeps Trout under control through 2030.

The Mets finished 77-85 last season, good for third place in the National League East. The team has posted losing records in four of the last five seasons, and have not made the playoffs since 2016. New York lost the NL wild-card game to the Giants that season, one year after losing to the Royals in the World Series, and have not captured a championship since 1986.

Expectations have been raised under new owner Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, but they were not met in his first season at the helm. As the new GM, Eppler wil be tasked with making sure a long history of ineptitude changes.

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