Ex-Mets GM Billy Eppler Returns to Baseball After One-Year Ban for Lying About Injuries

Billy Eppler is back in baseball after an unusual year-long ban for violating MLB rules about the injured list while he was the general manager of the Mets.

The suspension ended after the World Series, and SNY reported Sunday that Eppler had been hired as a special advisor in the Brewers front office.

At the time of his season-long suspension in February 2024, MLB said it interviewed more than three dozen people and found that Eppler had exhibited “improper use of Injured List placements, including 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.” 

The league investigation found other Mets officials weren’t culpable—only Eppler.

“I cooperated fully and transparently with MLB’s investigation, and I accept their decision,” Eppler said of his suspension.

Eppler’s first season leading New York’s front office was an impressive 101-win campaign, but his second and final year flamed out. With the team flailing on the field, Eppler shipped out star pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and manager Buck Showalter was fired a year after winning the NL Manager of the Year.

The decision to fire Showalter was reportedly made by the team’s then-new president of baseball operations David Stearns, who joined the Mets after his Brewers deal expired in 2023.

Eppler served as Mets GM from 2021 until his resignation in October 2023 amid MLB’s investigation. He had previously been GM for the Angels from 2015 to 2022, and with the Yankees from 2005 to 2015. His new role with the Brewers will focus on scouting and baseball operations.

Eppler was the third straight Mets GM to depart amid a scandal. Jared Porter was fired just weeks after his 2020 hiring after a story broke about him sexually harassing a reporter, and Zack Scott was fired two months after a Sept. 2021 DWI charge.

The Brewers won the NL Central in both of the last two seasons. Milwaukee general manager Matt Arnold—who took the job after Stearns stepped down—was MLB’s executive of the year last season.

A representative for the Brewers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.