PORT ST. LUCIE — Of the curious moves Billy Eppler orchestrated during his two-year tenure as Mets general manager, few were questioned as much — by industry insiders, nonetheless — as his handling of the team’s catching situation.
James McCann was not Eppler’s fault. That blunder of a contract, for which the Mets are still paying, was issued by Sandy Alderson shortly after Steve Cohen had purchased the club and before a conga line of GMs entered the front door at Citi Field. Alderson was afraid J.T. Realmuto would engage in protracted negotiations with the club, so he moved swiftly to fill a void behind the plate by signing McCann, who was a misfit for the Mets in his two seasons.
Eppler helped erase the McCann mistake by trading the underperforming catcher to the Orioles after the 2022 season. McCann was only halfway through his $40.6 million contract, and the Mets swallowed most of it.
But Eppler’s next moves at catcher were perplexing.
