By Joiner Martínez
05 Oct 2023, 19:14 PM EDT
New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler resigned from his position days after David Stearns was hired over him as the club’s first president of baseball operations.
Eppler was hired in 2021 and lasted less than two years in the role. The manager he hired, Buck Showalter, was fired Sunday by owner Steve Cohen, who said Stearns wanted to bring in his own driver.
In 2023 the Mets had the most expensive payroll in baseball this year, but they failed miserably. They fell out of the race midway through the year and finished in fourth place in the National League East Division.
“I wanted David to have a clean slate, which meant he had to step aside,” Eppler said in a statement released by the team.
“He made the decision in everyone’s best interest to completely relinquish leadership of baseball operations to David Stearns,” Cohen said in a statement.
Mets have new president of operations
David Stearns was officially named the first president of operations in Mets history, taking the reins of the team he has rooted for since he was a child.
“The good news about Shea and the ’90s is that there were a lot of assistants and ushers who had a sympathy for a 13-year-old kid who just wanted to watch baseball,” Stearns said with a smile. “It only happened a couple of times. It could have happened with just one usher, but most of the time I paid.”
“I’m excited to be here. “This is my home, it’s nice to be back,” Stearns added. “I have a lot of work to do.”
Keep reading:
Francisco Álvarez appreciates the support that his compatriot Salvador Pérez has given him: “He is a great example for me to follow”
Buck Showalter will not continue as manager of the New York Mets for the 2024 Major League season
MLB records the highest attendance at its stadiums since 2017: “It’s an achievement for us” said Rob Manfred