Billy Eppler has had tough jobs before.
He has worked in New York, as the assistant general manager of the Yankees. While GM in Anaheim, he worked for an owner generally regarded as an extremely — to use a polite euphemism — challenging, in the Angels’ Arte Moreno.
But, as one of his peers said Wednesday, “Every job in baseball has its own distinct set of complications.”
And the job Eppler is set to take over today — he will be introduced as the Mets’ general manager today at 12:30 p.m. — has an organizational context that could make the position high-risk, but high-reward — or downright impossible. Owner Steve Cohen has more money than any of his peers — and more tweets, too. Club president Sandy Alderson has a long and distinguished career in baseball, but, since returning to the Mets in September 2020, has had the worst year of his career: One of his hires was banned from the sport for sexual harassment, and the other was arrested for DWI. Recently, after a string of potential candidates turned down offers or even interviews, Alderson made headlines when he said that the job’s New York location has seemingly dented interest in the position.
Even under the best conditions, the job wouldn’t have been easy: The Mets were a major disappointment last season, losing 37 of their last 58 games. There are enormous holes in the rotation moving forward, especially without concrete information about how much ace Jacob deGrom can contribute in 2022. And the Mets are chasing the Atlanta Braves, who have won four straight division championships and, last month, the World Series.
So before Eppler rolls up his sleeves, six of his front-office peers — all but one of whom have worked in New York during their careers — anonymously offered advice for the Mets’ new general manager:
A general manager: “He’s getting a second chance to do this. You hear stories about how ‘Arte did this,’ and ‘Arte did that,’ and got in his way. This time, you do the job the way you want to, and you have no regrets. Only he knows for sure what authority he was given [with the Mets], but you use that authority and you make the decisions you want to make.”
“Look at Jerry Dipoto — he left the Angels after having issues with Arte, and he went to Seattle. The Mariners haven’t been great, but they’re getting better and they’re on the right path, because Jerry is making the decisions he wants to make.”
A high-ranking executive: “Whatever he agreed to with his scope of authority, he needs to get that in writing. There’s really no substitute for the written word. If he gets that in writing and then it turns out that this is not the situation he agreed to, then he needs to be able to walk away from it … I’m sure for Steve Cohen, the last year was a harsh awakening. You can’t buy your way into a championship. You can’t buy your way into a championship culture.”
“Billy will do a good job at managing expectations. I don’t know what Sandy was talking about the other day — I love New York. I wouldn’t say it’s a difficult place to work. I would say be prepared, be as honest as you can, don’t piss off the fans and don’t piss off the organization … Billy knows this business, and he knows New York.”
A talent evaluator: “I would tell him that when you’re in New York, there’s no time for a long-term plan. You have to try to build your team to try to win immediately. You’re not going to sell your fan base on the idea of prospects, a rebuilding process; that’s just not going to fly with the fans.”
“You’ve got a lot of moving parts that [Eppler] is going to have to deal with. It sounds like [Cohen] is like a lot of new owners — he wants his hands in everything, wants a say in everything, and he’s frustrated by the fact that everything doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. He probably doesn’t like the fact that he’s being compared to the Wilpons. There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of potential factions — Sandy’s son [Bryn, an assistant GM] works in the front office, and he can go right to his father with what he wants.”
“But none of that will matter if the Mets win. The bottom line is about winning in New York — and it should be. You can’t have four bad years the way they have … He needs to win right away. Get an experienced manager who knows New York, like Buck Showalter, and give him a two-year deal and try to win right away.”
A general manager: “Tell the truth, and when you can’t say, just say you can’t say. He’s got to communicate effectively, internally and externally. He can’t try to hide too much.
“With that audience” — the Mets’ fan base — “if you try to B.S. them, then you’re in trouble. Those fans are good, they’re smart, they get it. If you try to B.S. them, they’re going to sniff it out.”
“He worked for one of the best guys in the business” — Yankees GM Brian Cashman — “in dealing with the media. Given that, he’s going to have a good idea of how to get the media on his side, having seen Brian do it. You do what you can to bring everybody along with you.”
A senior executive: “Don’t try to be the Yankees. Don’t try to outdo the Yankees. Don’t worry about the Yankees. Be on your own timetable. There have been offseasons when the Mets were thought to have won the winter, and they lost the regular season.”
“Just make the team better as quickly as you can. I think, at heart, New York is still a National League city, and if he’s the guy who can take [the Mets] to the next level, he’s golden. You watch that Mets documentary” — Once Upon a Time in Queens — “and you see what the city could be like if the Mets win. The scene was great in Atlanta when the Braves won, but if the Mets win in New York, you multiply that by a million.”
“He should own the fact that he wasn’t the first choice. You say, ‘Maybe I’m not the No. 1 choice, but I’m here to do the job.’ Like Joe Torre — remember the headline when he was first hired by the Yankees? CLUELESS JOE? How’d that turn out?”
A high-ranking executive: “Just be yourself. Just be Billy. Don’t try to be something you’re not. He’s been prepared for this moment. I’m sure he was very authentic in this moment, and I’m sure they responded to that, after what they’ve been through in the last year.
“Be honest, direct and communicative with the fans. That’s it. That’s all you can do. When dealing with the owner, it’s the same: Be honest, direct and communicative.”