It isn’t an uncommon practice for teams to exaggerate injuries and store players on the injured list to gain a small advantage by keeping them away from rivals. What sunk former Mets general manager Billy Eppler is that MLB had the goods on him, and felt they had no choice but to punish him for that reason.
Eppler’s injury-related records were turned in by a whistleblower, believed to be a Mets employee, and while exaggerating or even faking injuries to keep them from leaving is a prevalent practice, the evidence doesn’t usually wind up on Rob Manfred’s desk.
Eppler, when confronted by MLB with the allegation of exaggerating/faking injuries, readily admitted it.
“Yes, I did it,” Eppler is said to have told MLB.
That’s not surprising in that he’s a generally honest fellow and also understood the practice to be widespread. He said he “cooperated fully” in his only statement, and apparently he wasn’t kidding. MLB people agree, too, that he was cooperative, and Eppler, who declined comment beyond his original statement, can apply for early reinstatement from his MLB-imposed season-long ban.
Former Met Tommy Hunter told the NY Post’s Dan Martin, “It’s crazy how Billy got singled out. It’s kind of mind blowing. … It’s no secret what goes on [with the Phantom IL] so to go after one person seems unfair.”
Eppler, who previously had an impeccable reputation, made mistakes. But perhaps his biggest mistake was making an enemy in his own organization who knew too much.