It was a long and winding road for the Mets to find their next general manager, after employing five in the last four years, but team president Sandy Alderson eventually landed on Billy Eppler, the only candidate to receive a formal offer from the team.
“This was not a linear process,” Alderson said at Eppler’s introductory press conference on Friday afternoon. “This was not a matter of making inquiries, making offers on a serial basis. Billy is the only one who received an offer from Steve [Cohen] and the Mets. It was an exhaustive process. We talked to many people, and we are very happy that as a result, Billy is our new general manager.”
The Mets missed on many potential candidates for the GM and president of baseball operations position, but the front office raved about Eppler’s hiring on Friday.
“I’m really excited about working with Billy,” team owner Steve Cohen said. “I just came back from the MLB owners meetings, and I can tell you there was universal praise for the hiring. People coming up to me from everywhere saying we got a real pro, well liked in the industry, well respected. So I’m excited.
“I put a lot of time into this. Like I always say, I’ve got a day job, so it’s a relief to get somebody that I feel really good about. Just based on our conversations, he’s gonna be an easy person to work with. I look forward to the whole team getting going here and filling our needs.”
The team still doesn’t have a president of baseball operations, a hire they will likely hold off on until next offseason, and until then, Eppler will report to Alderson. But he anticipates Eppler staying in the driver’s seat when it comes to making personnel moves and coaching hires, and thinks the former Yankees assistant GM is well-suited for the expectations of the Big Apple.
“Billy will report to me, and I will be available as a resource, but I expect Billy to be the one driving this,” Alderson said.
“He understands the challenges that New York represents in terms of its fans, who re knowledgeable, passionate, and demanding…He’s well respected in the industry, well-known within the organization, and we’re extremely happy to have him.”
Now, the drawn-out journey to find what the Mets hope will finally be a stable presence in the front office is complete, and the real work begins. Now, New York will hope its efforts to find who it thought would be the best fit for the organization will be rewarded.
“It also was exhaustive. It was broader, deeper than any vetting process we had ever undergone,” Alderson said. “It was a long process in terms of the baseball calendar, but necessary, and we are very pleased with the outcome, and look forward to Billy hitting the ground running.”
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