Billy Eppler has had tough jobs before.
He has worked in New York, as the assistant general manager of the Yankees. While GM in Anaheim, he worked for an owner generally regarded as an extremely -- to use a polite euphemism -- challenging, in the Angels' Arte Moreno.
But, as one of his peers said Wednesday, "Every job in baseball has its own distinct set of complications."
And the job Eppler is set to take over today -- he will be introduced as the Mets' general manager today at 12:30 p.m. -- has an organizational context that could make the position high-risk, but high-reward -- or downright impossible. Owner Steve Cohen has more money than any of his peers -- and more tweets, too. Club president Sandy Alderson has a long and distinguished career in baseball, but, since returning to the Mets in September 2020, has had the worst year of his career: One of his hires was banned from the sport for sexual harassment, and the other was arrested for DWI. Recently, after a string of potential candidates turned down offers or even interviews, Alderson made headlines when he said that the job's New York location has seemingly dented interest in the position.
Even under the best conditions, the job wouldn't have been easy: The Mets were a major disappointment last season, losing 37 of their last 58 games. There are enormous holes in the rotation moving forward, especially without concrete information about how much ace Jacob deGrom can contribute in 2022. And the Mets are chasing the Atlanta Braves, who have won four straight division championships and, last month, the World Series.
So before Eppler rolls up his sleeves, six of his front-office peers -- all but one of whom have worked in New York during their careers -- anonymously offered advice for the Mets' new general manager: