Eppler: It’s Not A Rebuild, It’s Not A Fire Sale

The New York Mets made the team’s trade of veteran Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, along with cash, in exchange for top-50 prospect Luisangel Acuña official Sunday afternoon. As is customary, once a large move as such is made, the team’s general manager or president often speaks. This was the case for Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler Sunday afternoon.

The most interesting quote of this media availability was Eppler explaining the team’s mindset and what they are currently doing. “It’s not a rebuild, it’s not a fire sale, it’s not a liquidation. It’s a repurposing of Steve’s [Cohen] investments in the team.”

With the Mets 7.0 games back of the last Wild Card and the August 1 trade deadline quickly approaching, the Mets’ approach thus far is the correct one. They are selling off and listening on assets who either do not have much control left, or are not exactly a part of the team’s core going forward. They’ve acquired a top-50 prospect, a borderline top-100 prospect, and another prospect who projects to be top-15 in their own system. In doing so, as Eppler said in his press conference, the team is still maintaining the ability to be competitive next year.

Of course, there are still a couple days until Tuesday’s trade deadline, but the Mets are largely expected to hang on with the numerous players who will help the team be competitive next season. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Díaz, Jeff McNeil, etc. all still project to be in Flushing come August 2. New York also has their strong young core of Francisco Álvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos, among others to go with a farm system that is quickly flying up the ranks. Not to mention, they have the richest owner in the major leagues which gives them the leeway and flexibility other teams simply do not. It will also enable them to take advantage of a very robust free agent market this offseason to address the team’s needs.

Of course, there is a lot more to it and it is easier said than done. However, given the above there is no reason for the Mets to rebuild and completely tear down the team. If they were doing that, they’d be trading the likes of Alonso, McNeil, etc. and looking at other avenues to trade off their core in exchange for younger players for the future. As of now, there are zero signs this is going to be the case. The above quote by Eppler all but confirms this.

With all that being said, there is a very clear path for the team to be competitive next year and that is even with moving guys such as Max Scherzer and David Robertson. Not only do Eppler’s quotes signify a strong plan, but they are also rooted in a very realistic mindset. It is very possible to sell, while recuperating assets that will help in the future and not compromising the team in 2024. That is exactly what you are seeing the Mets doing: building the farm while selling off short-term replaceable assets from a team that does disappointingly not look playoff-bound this season.