“Would you rather have that manager be an expert in poker or chess?” new Mets GM Billy Eppler said in his introductory press conference on Friday.
The joke was harmless enough, but it covered for a fact that Eppler revealed in more detail later in the press conference: The Mets have only barely begun their search for a manager.
While the Mets’ hiring of Eppler to fill their GM hole was a huge step in the right direction, their business isn’t done. With Luis Rojas recently joining the Yankees’ coaching staff, the Mets need a manager on the field. When Eppler was asked what type of manager they would be looking for, he didn’t have a specific answer.
“I’d love to find somebody that checks every single box and is great in all areas…,” he said. “Over this past year, learning and reading and rethinking some of the ways that you approach things, I wanted to be able to sit down with the senior baseball ops group, and sit down with Steve [Cohen] and Sandy [Alderson], and all collectively talk about what criteria we think might be important for the next manager of the Mets.”
He didn’t specify what this criteria would be, adding with a light chuckle, “That’s a process that I’m going to start this afternoon.” Clearly, the Mets are taking things one step at time. Finding a GM was that first step, a step that perhaps took longer than they would have liked. But now they found their guy, and it’s time to start the search to fill their next gaping hole.
Eppler seems to be going into the process with an open mind in terms of what values the team’s potential new manager has. When addressing what he plans to discuss when he meets with Cohen and Alderson, he said, “I want to have the group engaged, and get a sense for ‘Do you value, for example, tactical in-game management as your primary criteria, your primary element? Do you value analytic in-game probabilistic thinking as your No. 1 criteria?’ Or ability to connect with the media and the fanbase. Obviously that’s critical. And clubhouse cultures.
“All of these things; do you want someone who coached in the minor leagues, for example. I want to make sure I collect all of the thoughts from everybody, set forth what that criteria looks like, and then at that point, start to develop a candidate list.”
Mets fans who are eager to meet the team’s new manager might have to wait a little longer. But after a long hiring process, the Mets have a new GM who appears to eager to get things done.
