MLB Started An Investigation To Look Into Met’s Unfair Use Of Injury List

According to the New York Post’s Mike Puma, Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman, and Mark W. Sanchez, New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler resigned on Thursday during an ongoing MLB investigation into alleged disabled list abuse.

A club with a full roster might fabricate an ailment for a healthy player who has exhausted his minor league options rather than risk losing that player, who would be available to other teams if he was exposed on waivers.

The healthy player could then be activated once there is room on the roster, which might be generated by another player being injured or optioned to the minors.

While on the IL, athletes on the outskirts of a roster might continue to receive big league pay and service time.

MLB Started An Investigation To Look Into Met’s Unfair Use Of Injury List

The New York Mets announced the resignation of general manager Billy Eppler on Thursday, just days after the team fired manager Buck Showalter.

“I wanted David [president of baseball operations David Stearns] to have a clean slate, and that meant stepping down,” Eppler explained in a brief statement. “I hope for nothing but the best for the entire Mets organization.”

The New York Post revealed hours later that the Mets were under MLB investigation for potentially inappropriate usage of the disabled list under Eppler. The executive allegedly informed the Mets that he did not want to be a distraction and resigned.

According to reports, Eppler has not yet talked with MLB but is complying with the league’s continuing inquiry.

When the Mets were first made aware of the inquiry, they were advised that the focus would be on alleged injured list manipulation.

https://twitter.com/AnthonyDjComo/status/1708892899595956387

On the first day, the discussions centered on the utilization of IL.

According to The New York Post, MLB notified the Mets that owner Steve Cohen is not the subject of the inquiry.

Of all, the inquiry is still in its early stages, and it is likely that it will lead investigators in unforeseen places.

At the heart of the investigation is a possible competitive advantage: a pretty frequent strategy that allows clubs to retain players who would otherwise be lost and allows players to get money that would otherwise be out of reach.

The “phantom injured list” is so prevalent that it has a name.

The Mets concluded the season with a 74-87 record, behind the Atlanta Braves by 30 games in the National League East and 10 games out of the NL wild-card picture. The Mets parted ways with Showalter, the NL Manager of the Year last season, after only two seasons.

In 2021, Eppler was hired as the team’s general manager. Last season, the Mets finished 101-61 and made their first postseason trip in seven years, albeit they were eliminated in the wild-card round.

 

 

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