Billy Eppler, the general manager who took over the reins of the Los Angeles Angels in the middle of the 2015 season, was dismissed from his post after a fifth consecutive losing season in 2020.
Eppler, who took over after former GM Jerry Dipoto resigned in July 2015, took over a roster which included baseball’s best player in outfielder Mike Trout but was never able to take advantage of a talented squad that always had holes in it.
The former New York Yankees assistant GM made some high-profile acquisitions during his time with the Angels, including trading for shortstop Andrelton Simmons and signing high-profile players like Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, and Justin Upton to big contracts. Despite this, his Angels finished below .500 and frustrated fans during each of the past five seasons.
The Angels were speculated to be a playoff contender heading into 2020 after the $245 million addition of star third baseman Anthony Rendon, but the same problems reared their head once again. Los Angeles posted baseball’s sixth-worst ERA (5.09) and could never find consistency.
The franchise and president John Carpino will now embark upon a search for a new GM who they hope will finally be able to piece together a supporting cast around Trout and Rendon to lead them back to contention.
