Who’s the Next MLB GM to go?
Billy Eppler, Los Angeles Angels
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Eppler was hired prior to the 2016 season, having come to owner Arturo Moreno’s attention as an assistant GM for the New York Yankees.
His tenure has produced plenty of headlines, notably with the signing of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. He also signed Mike Trout to a 12-year extension, effectively taking the game’s best player off the market forever.
What he hasn’t done is win; the Angels are on their way to a fourth consecutive losing season under his direction.
Eppler’s position is made more precarious by the presence of the Dodgers across town, a dominant force whose ongoing success renders the Angels a decided second team.
To the extent it provides security, Moreno did exercise an option last month extending Eppler’s contract through 2020. Presumably, Moreno wouldn’t have done that if he intended to dump Eppler at season’s end.
On the other hand, skeptics may note that Moreno merely picked up Eppler’s existing 2020 option; he offered nothing in the way of an extension. Owners have been known to eat a year’s salary in order to dump an MLB GM; the Red Sox just did that with Dombrowski, who at the time of his removal was signed as president through 2020.
Moreno’s willingness to pick up the option suggests that Eppler is safe at least through the short term. But the fact that it hardly constitutes a vote of confidence means Eppler needs to enjoy some quick success if he is to escape close contact with the hot seat.