NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 unfair criticisms of Billy Eppler

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Billy Eppler has gotten pummeled by New York Mets fans in recent weeks. Rightfully so. A lot of his decisions have led to the team squandering away a great opportunity. While very much alive, it’s an uphill climb for the Mets the rest of the way.

General managers and the coaches on the field draw the ire of fans equally as much as the players. Sometimes it’s not always the fairest of criticisms.

Of course, Eppler has been a questionable GM for the Mets thus far. He hasn’t done anything special. Spending Steve Cohen’s money is his biggest talent. We could all do that. It’s easy to roast him, but these criticisms aren’t justified. Maybe next week will be 300 fair criticisms. We'll see.

1) There wasn’t much the NY Mets could’ve done when Edwin Diaz got hurt

Unhappy with the way the Mets bullpen looks right now? You’re not on an island alone. Australia isn’t a big enough continent to hold the number of people who should be disgusted with the way this looks. It is largely Eppler’s fault. What he doesn’t deserve blame for was his lack of adding another arm when the Mets lost Edwin Diaz for the season.

It was March 16. The Ides of March. Mets fans were watching Diaz celebrate on the field in the World Baseball Classic when suddenly our hearts sank. Such a minor event had major implications.

The Mets have gotten plenty out of David Robertson as the closer, but not having him for earlier innings has been tough. Robertson was meant to be a righty assassin who could get lefties out. Elevated to closer duties, it’s one of those parts of the roster that should’ve been addressed long before having lost Diaz.

Mets fan-favorite free agent and trade target Andrew Chafin signed a full month earlier with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Matt Moore, a lefty in the Los Angeles Angels bullpen, had his deal in place only a day after Chafin on February 16, 2023.

What could the Mets have possibly done to improve the situation? If you say sign a free agent, who? If you say make a trade, who would’ve possibly been available?

Don’t blame Eppler for inaction after the Diaz injury. Options weren’t limited, they were non-existent. The real mistake came well before and even then this critique would probably be present.

2) The NY Mets set themselves up for the wrath of fans by signing Gary Sanchez

The Mets struck gold with Gary Sanchez yet didn’t realize it. Having lingered without a contract for months, they signed him to a minor league deal and watched as he tore apart Triple-A pitchers. They even called him up to share catching duties with Francisco Alvarez. After just 3 games and 7 trips to the plate, the Mets decided to DFA him and activate Tomas Nido from the IL.

The ironic part is Nido ended up DFA’d himself not long after. This was a situation the Mets put themselves in where they couldn’t have possibly won. One could claim they should’ve DFA’d Nido first which is a fair point. But then they would’ve just done the same with Sanchez shortly after when Omar Narvaez was back.

Sanchez has been monstrous for the San Diego Padres since they added him but there was nothing to indicate he could do this as a member of the Mets. Carrying three catchers would’ve been their only option with one of the guys at the DH spot on a nightly basis.

This is a very hindsight driven criticism of Eppler. If Sanchez continued to struggle for the Mets, he’d have just as much wrath against him as Daniel Vogelbach. It’s unfair to say you want Alvarez on the MLB roster and believe Sanchez should’ve stayed. It’s most ridiculous because Sanchez probably never should have been signed by the Mets in the first place. There was never room for him and unfortunately, Eppler deserves some egg on his face for setting up this critique but not for the decision to quickly move on.

3) The lack of major trade additions unless you’re not a fan of the top NY Mets prospects isn't a fair criticism of Billy Eppler

The 2022 MLB trade deadline was brutal for the Mets. It looked unimpressive from the start. They never should have made the trade for Darin Ruf and many were in agreement from the start. Couldn’t they have swapped a younger player for Daniel Vogelbach? Mychal Givens wasn’t enough for the bullpen. Tyler Naquin was fine in his role but an injury to Starling Marte forced him down our throats for the final weeks.

Eppler’s ability to make successful trades hasn't been his trademark. The Chris Bassitt deal with the Oakland Athletics worked out well. Beyond that, there hasn’t been any truly impressive trade.

You can point at some of the other trades made by other MLB teams since Eppler took over, but it’s unfair to say he should’ve added more unless you absolutely hate the top Mets prospects. If you were willing to give up Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and many others for one of the players who were dealt, go ahead and pat yourself on the back. You may have been right. Or maybe the Mets would’ve paid too much for Josh Bell, Trey Mancini, J.D. Martinez, Willson Contreras, or one of the other realistic trade targets from last summer.

If you want good players, you need to give up other ones who are expected to be really good. What the Mets do need to do is decide which they are. Are they a club that trades away prospects or plays them? Getting caught in the middle is what has allowed this to become a major critique. Don’t have hot-hitting prospects on the farm or bench when you have a need in the starting lineup. Play them and fail with them. Never get caught with the extra bullet in the chamber.

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