Photo: USA TODAY

Well, well, well. We finally have stuff to talk about here.

After six weeks of rumors and lull in actual activity, the Mets hired a general manager, lost a player people widely expected them to keep and added a bundle of minor-leaguers to their 40-man roster. It was so busy, Luis Rojas getting hired by the Yankees as their third-base coach basically got swept under the rug.

Let’s talk it out.

Welcome, Billy Eppler

The Mets officially announced Billy Eppler, former Angels general manager and Yankees executive, as their GM on Thursday, ending a six-week search for a top front office executive.

The team held a press conference Friday, where Eppler talked about wanting to spend on free agents this offseason and having a reluctance to trade some of the team’s top prospects. (You can read a full recap of the press conference here.)

Eppler also got assurances from owner Steve Cohen that he has whatever resources he needs to sign players, leaving fans to believe the Mets are going to blow past a $200 million payroll and whatever the luxury tax is set at in 2022.

Goodbye, Noah Syndergaard

Just after news came out Monday that Eppler was nearing a deal to become the Mets’ GM, reports surfaced Tuesday that Noah Syndergaard was nearing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

The news came as a bit of a shock as it was assumed Syndergaard would accept the qualifying offer the Mets extended him. A market for his services percolated once the Mets attached the QO, though, and the Angels swooped in and gave him $21 million over one year.

Syndergaard said in his introductory press conference that it was the hardest decision he’s ever made, and he also had multi-year offers from other teams. The Mets reportedly didn’t know Syndergaard was going to sign with the Angels until he was on a plane to take his physical.

Syndergaard released a video thanking Mets fans for the last six years of his career. He’ll be a free agent once again after the 2022 season.

Minor Leaguers Get Protected

The deadline to protect minor-league players from the upcoming Rule 5 draft was Friday evening.

The Mets, with plenty of open space on their 40-man roster, placed Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos, José Butto and Adam Oller on the 40-man roster. These players cannot be taken in the Rule 5 draft.

Some players who were left unprotected include Carlos Cortes and pitcher Brian Metoyer, who has made a splash in the Arizona Fall League with his curveball spin rate.

Any player taken in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the team’s major-league roster for the entire season or he’ll be return to his original team. Pitcher Dedniel Nuñez was take from the Mets by the Giants in last year’s draft, but he needed Tommy John surgery soon after. He remained with the Giants all season but was returned to the Mets on Friday once they dropped him off their 40-man roster.

Arizona Fall League Comes To A Close

The Arizona Fall League completed its season on Saturday, and the Mets’ affiliate–the Salt River Rafters–finished Friday.

Brett Baty was the Mets’ biggest prospect to attend the AFL, and he finished the season with a .777 OPS in 25 games and 102 plate appearances. He started off the season hot and cooled off in the middle weeks of the season, but he ended the season on a high note.

The third baseman, who just turned 22 last week, finished his 2021 campaign notching nearly 500 plate appearances in 116 games across High-A, Double-A and the AFL.

The remaining of the Mets’ prospects include:

  • Carlos Cortes: .667 OPS, 67 PA
  • Hayden Senger: .601 OPS, 40 PA
  • Colin Holderman: 10.1 IP, 8.71 ERA
  • Brian Metoyer: 10.1 IP, 10.45 ERA (doubled after six-run third of an inning Friday)
  • Connor Grey: 18 IP, 3.00 ERA

What’s Next?

It’s time for Billy Eppler to get to work. There are 10 days until a potential lockdown, and there is a belief some top-level players want to sign before the current collective bargaining agreement expires the morning of December 2.

Seiya Suzuki is also expected to be posted by NPB on Monday, and the Mets are expected to be in on his services.