3 things Billy Eppler must do to become the Billy GOAT of GMs

Billy Eppler needs to build with long-term goals in mind

The biggest folly of Brodie Van Wagenen during his tenure was the lack of vision for the future. He wanted to win and he wanted to win now! It’s a very Veruca Salt approach to running an MLB organization.

Under the direction of Sandy Alderson and what Steve Cohen seems to want for the organization, I think Eppler can make this happen. It’s important to not get too caught up in the future while ignoring the present. Hopefully, there’s some flexibility there.

Long-term goals include keeping the farm system in place, strong international scouting on the amateur level, and locking up your players to contracts before they get through arbitration. They may seem like common sense items to add to the agenda. I won’t argue that. It’s an aim for just about every professional sports franchise.

The important thing here is identifying when the time is right to strike and push all of the chips into the middle. Sometimes, you do need to trade your number one prospect at the deadline to ensure your fans get a parade.

What Eppler can’t do is shoot himself in the foot. You don’t trade away your future for rentals you simply let slip away. That is one reason why—despite a lackluster season—extending Francisco Lindor was the right thing to do.

The front office has been totally rebuilt from what was in place during the 2021 season and should continue to get a few more warm bodies in there. Getting everyone on this page to target the future while maintaining success in the present is key.