Former GM Billy Eppler, Mets under investigation by MLB

Major League Baseball has a probe looking into allegations that the Mets made improper use of the injured list, according to Mike Puma, Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. The exact nature of the investigation and the specific allegations or players involved aren’t yet known at this time. Former Mets GM Billy Eppler (who stepped down from the job earlier Thursday) is cooperating with the investigation, but he has yet to formally speak with league officials.

Eppler’s resignation was seen by many as a surprise, since by all appearances, he was fully ready to act as the front office’s new No. 2 behind president of baseball operations David Stearns. As per the Post’s report, the league’s probe was the reason for Eppler’s departure, as he informed Mets upper management that he didn’t want to be a distraction to the club.

More will be known once more details of the league’s investigation surface, or when MLB announces (if any) its final findings. On the surface, improper uses of the injured list would simply seem to suggest that the Mets placed a player or players on the 10-day, 15-day or 60-day IL when they weren’t actually hurt, thus allowing the club to add a new player to the 26-man or 40-man rosters.

These kinds of “phantom IL” transactions have existed within the game for decades. A team might send a struggling player to the injured list with a harder-to-define issue like arm soreness or a bad back, when in reality the player is just getting a mental and physical break to reset. Every club in baseball has made such a move at some point, and in some cases, players have openly admitted that they aren’t actually hurt.

While this practice is technically illegal, it is also relatively widespread enough that it is rare to see MLB launch an official investigation into improper IL usage. That might suggest that the Mets’ alleged violation is particularly egregious, or (speculatively) that the league might have given the club an initial warning, and are now proceeding with a probe because Eppler’s front office didn’t stop.

Whatever the details, it amounts to “another embarrassing exit for a Mets official,” in the words of the New York Post’s writers. Within the last five years, former Mets GM Jared Porter and former manager Mickey Callaway both faced allegations of sexual harassment, with the Mets firing Porter and MLB putting Callaway (who had moved on from the Mets to work as the Angels’ pitching coach) on the ineligible list. As well, interim GM Zack Scott was fired when he was arrested on DWI charges, and ex-manager Carlos Beltran was fired due to his part in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, before he had even officially managed a single game.

Improper IL placements aren’t nearly as serious as some of those off-the-field concerns, of course, but it is possible Eppler or the Mets might face some kind of penalty (suspensions, fines, etc.) as a result of the league’s investigation. The MLB Players Association might also have an issue, if the situation involves service time or perhaps just a player gaining an “injury-prone” reputation when none was warranted.