UPDATE
According to Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are "finalizing the deal" that would bring Eppler on board as the team's new general manager.
ORIGINAL
The Mets’ long, frustrating search for their next general manager could be nearing an end.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, New York has offered the job to Billy Eppler, one of the team’s candidates that has experience in the city thanks to his 10 years with the Yankees, which included a role as the director of scouting and eventually the assistant general manager position, a role he held from 2011 to 2015.
Eppler then went to the Angels after the 2015 season, but was let go by the team after the 2020 season, though he did oversee the signing of Shohei Ohtani and the massive contract extension for Mike Trout.
Following his run with the Angels, Eppler had been doing work with the agency that represents free agent Carlos Correa.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported earlier on Monday that a decision was expected to come soon for the Mets, and Eppler was considered a strong candidate to replace Zack Scott, who was the interim general manager and thought of as a strong candidate to assume the full-time role before he was arrested for a DUI late in the 2021 season, and eventually placed on administrative leave before being told he would not return to the organization.
According to The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli, Eppler is the first to receive an offer from the Mets, who had been previously turned down or turned away from other candidates for their president of baseball operations vacancy, which has been put aside to focus on the GM hiring. It appears that work may be nearly done.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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