New Mets GM Eppler excited about return to ‘intimidating’ Big Apple

Billy Eppler embraced the bright lights of the big city, promising on his first day as Mets general manager to pursue pricey free agents and create a perennial World Series contender.

Hired late Thursday by owner Steve Cohen and team president Sandy Alderson, the former Angels GM was introduced Friday and tasked with the responsibility of reversing an underachieving organization coming off consecutive losing seasons, management turmoil and the loss of a talented star pitcher to free agency.

“I’m willing for the right deals and the right free agents to go and get the players we need,” Cohen said.

He estimated the 2022 payroll currently at $185 million, with more spending ahead.

“We’ll be able to take a little bit bigger swings in free agency,” Eppler said.

Alderson said last week that some GM candidates had no desire to move to the Big Apple because “it’s a big stage and some people would just prefer to be elsewhere.” Eppler, 46, embraced what he termed New York’s “rabid fanbase.”

“Big buildings. It’s intimidating,” he said. “It makes you feel really small. But if you go and you learn and evolve, the city starts to teach you. I think the city teaches patience. I think the city teaches resiliency and ingenuity, and there’s really no other place like it.”

Cohen and Eppler said during a digital news conference that money will flow. They need to replace pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who agreed to a $21 million contract with the Angels.

“We want to tackle the free-agent market as well as the trade market,” Eppler said. “In my dialogue with Steve and Sandy, it’s evident that we’re going to have some resources behind us. So I don’t think anything eliminates itself at the outset here. And I look at the roster and definitely want to address the pitching.”

Eppler spoke from his home in California, while Cohen and Alderson sat together at Citi Field. The Mets have not won the World Series since 1986, and since then have had three principal owners and 11 general managers (not including interims). The manager Eppler hires to replace Luis Rojas will be the 12th.

Cohen bought the Mets last November. He brought back Alderson and hired GM Jared Porter, who was fired in January after 38 days over revelations of sexually explicit text messages.

Zack Scott, Portér’s replacement as interim GM, was sacked following an arrest on drunken driving charges and after the Mets became the first team to spend as many as 103 days in first place and then finish with a losing record (77-85).

Eppler, a San Diego native, is familiar with Gotham from his time with the Yankees from 2004-15, when he rose to assistant GM. He moved back to California to become GM of the Angels, and was fired a year ago after five losing seasons.

Eppler understands the Mets may hire a president of baseball operations above him a year from now.

“This is not necessarily a one-person job,” Eppler said. “If that comes to pass, then I would welcome that opportunity because I know that it’ll be somebody that kind of looks at the baseball world similar to how I do.” RANGERS’ WOODWARD GETS EXTENSION >> Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward received a contract extension that goes through the 2023 season and includes a club option for another year after that.

The Rangers before last season had exercised their club option for 2022. Woodward originally got a threeyear contract when he became the manager after the 2018 season.

While Woodward is 160224 overall with the Rangers, with 102 losses last season, the team has been in a rebuilding mode and that included the pandemicshortened 2020 season.

“After seeing Woody’s passion and consistency first-hand over the last year, extending our partnership is an easy decision,” said Chris Young, who took over as general manager about a year ago.

The 45-year-old Woodward is a former MLB infielder who spent parts of 12 seasons with Toronto, the New York Mets, Atlanta, Seattle and Boston. He was on the big league staffs in Seattle (2013-15) and the Dodgers (2016-18), the last two years there as third base coach when they made back-to-back World Series appearances.