Billy Eppler resigns as Mets’ general manager, handing all keys to David Stearns

NEW YORK — Add general manager to the list of roles David Stearns will fill for the Mets. In an unexpected move, Billy Eppler stepped down from his role with the club announcing his resignation Thursday afternoon.

“Billy Eppler led this team through a 101-win season and postseason berth last year and he will be missed,” owner and CEO Steve Cohen said in a statement. “We accepted Billy’s resignation today as he decided it is in everyone’s best interest to fully hand over the leadership of baseball operations to David Stearns. On behalf of the Mets organization, we wish him all the best.”

Eppler had two years remaining on his contract. He was brought two years ago to lead the club’s baseball operations efforts after Cohen fired the first two GMs he hired, Jared Porter and Zack Scott. He previously held the same position with the Los Angeles Angels from 2015-2020, replacing Jerry Dipoto after he resigned abruptly in the middle of the 2015 season.

Prior to his return to Southern California, the San Diego native worked in the Yankees front office with general manager Brian Cashman.

After overseeing a 101-win season in 2022, the 48-year-old Eppler was tasked with assembling the most expensive roster baseball has ever seen. The Mets fielded a payroll of $364 million. But they never even sniffed the playoffs in 2023, turning in a historically disappointing season, going 75-87 and finishing fourth in the NL East.

The Mets hired Stearns away from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this week, installing him as the team’s first-ever president of baseball operations. The expectation was that Eppler was going to work underneath Stearns, but it was still a demotion for Eppler.

“I wanted David to have a clean slate and that meant me stepping down,” Eppler said in a statement. “I hope for nothing but the best for the entire Mets organization.”