CHICAGO — As long as Billy Eppler clears a background check, he will become the Mets’ general manager, according to an industry source.
Eppler, 46, and the Mets have reached agreement on terms, the source said, and the announcement of his appointment could come as soon as Thursday or Friday.
The background check figures to be especially thorough for the Mets after their previous hire as full-time GM, Jared Porter, was fired barely a month after his arrival due to the publication of lewd text messages he had sent to a female journalist in 2016. And, moreover, after the Mets took about six weeks since the end of their 2021 season, by which time they knew they’d be seeking a new head of baseball operations, to find a suitable candidate willing to take their job.
Most recently, Eppler had worked as a player representative for WME Sports. He worked as the Angels’ general manager for the 2016-20 seasons and prior to that served in the Yankees’ front office from 2004 through 2015, helping to build the champion 2009 club under Brian Cashman’s leadership. That experience in New York, as well as a positive rapport with club president Sandy Alderson, helped convince the Mets that Eppler would be the right fit.
With the offseason well under way, and with the likelihood of an owners’ lockout occurring on Dec. 2, Eppler will need to hit the ground running if the Mets are to contend next season as they desire. Among his tasks will be to hire a manager and the majority of a coaching staff (besides incumbent pitching coach Jeremy Hefner), fill out a starting rotation, determine the makeup of the outfield with Michael Conforto likely leaving and figure out who to play at third base.