Former Mets GM Billy Eppler Placed on MLB's Ineligible List for Violation of IL Rules

Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler will not be permitted to work for an MLB organization for the entirety of the 2024 season.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that Eppler has been placed on the league's ineligible list and will remain there through the end of the 2024 World Series.

The reason given for Eppler's ineligibility is that he played a role in the violation of injured list rules in 2022 and 2023.

Eppler, who resigned from his role as Mets GM in October, is not currently employed by an MLB team.

His resignation from the Mets occurred as MLB launched an investigation into the Mets and the possibility of improper usage of the injured list.

Per Sherman and Dan Martin of the New York Post, the league was informed of potential IL violations in an anonymous letter, and an investigation determined that Eppler orchestrated "the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper injured list placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons."

Sherman and Martin noted that illegally placing non-injured players on the IL can benefit teams in that it allows them to keep the players in the organization rather than potentially losing them to other organizations by subjecting them to waivers.

MLB's investigation found that the violations were "at Eppler's full discretion" and did not involve owner Steve Cohen or any of Eppler's superiors in the Mets organization.

Eppler, who served as GM of the Los Angeles Angels from 2015 to 2020, was hired by the Mets in 2021, and he helped build a team that went 101-61 and reached the playoffs in 2022.

The Mets were among the most disappointing teams in baseball last season, though, as they dipped to 75-87, missed the playoffs and traded away several key players, including veteran starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

While New York did not officially replace Eppler with a new GM after his resignation, it brought in former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns to serve as president of baseball operations.

Eppler is suspended for the entire 2024 season as of now, but he can apply for an earlier reinstatement, which would be considered by Manfred, according to Sherman and Martin.