ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Los Angeles Angels fired general manager Billy Eppler on Sunday after the team finished its fifth consecutive losing season under his watch.
The Angels finished 26-34 in the pandemic-shortened season with a star-studded roster including three-time AL MVP Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani.
Eppler rebuilt a farm system that was left barren by former GM Jerry Dipoto, and he both signed Trout to a massive contract extension and persuaded Ohtani to bring his two-way talents to the Angels.
Yet Eppler never managed to sign enough quality pitchers to prevent Trout's Angels from being a perennial also-ran.
Eppler repeatedly guessed wrong in his signings from Matt Harvey to Julio Teheran, leaving the Angels with one of the majors' worst starting rotations for much of his tenure.