It’s not uncommon for teams to exaggerate injuries and place players on injured reserve to gain some advantage by distancing them from their rivals. What sunk former Mets general manager Billy Eppler was that he felt MLB had the goods on him and had no choice but to punish him for it.
Eppler’s injury-related records were submitted by a whistleblower who appears to be a Mets employee, and exaggerating or faking injuries to keep them from leaving is a common practice. But that evidence doesn’t usually end up on Rob Manfred’s desk.
When Eppler was asked by MLB that he had exaggerated/fabricated the injury, he immediately admitted it.
“Yes, I did it,” Eppler reportedly told MLB.
That’s not surprising, considering he was generally an honest person and also understood that this practice was widespread. He was apparently not kidding when he said in his only statement that he had “cooperated fully.” MLB officials agree he has been cooperative and Eppler, who declined to comment beyond his initial statement, may apply for early reinstatement from the season-long suspension imposed by MLB. be.
Tommy Hunter, formerly of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, told Dan Martin of the New York Post: I feel like I’m kind of surprised. …what’s going on is no secret [with the Phantom IL] So it seems unfair to go after one person. ”
Eppler, who previously had an impeccable reputation, made a mistake. But perhaps his biggest mistake was that he made enemies within his own organization who knew too much.
