On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The Milwaukee Brewers didn't really do too much throughout the offseason but have been pretty busy throughout Spring Training.
Milwaukee was idle for a few months but has dabbled in free agency over the last two weeks than it had pretty much for the previous two months. The Brewers aren't stopping at free agency, though, and reportedly hired for New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler to be the team's special advisor, scouting and baseball operations, according to SNY's Andy Martino.
"Former Mets GM Billy Eppler has taken a position as special advisor, scouting and baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, league sources say," Martino said.
Eppler notably was suspended for the 2024 season. He resigned from the Mets' general manager position following the 2023 season and then was investigated and eventually suspended by Major League Baseball for manipulating the Injured List. The Mets would use the Injured List for players who were not actually injured, as shared by ESPN.
"Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler was suspended through the 2024 World Series on Friday by commissioner Rob Manfred, who concluded that he directed the team to fabricate injuries to create open roster spots," ESPN said. "No Mets medical or athletic training personnel were mentioned in the announcement by Major League Baseball.
"Manfred said in a statement that Eppler directed 'the deliberate fabrication of injuries; and the associated submission of documentation for the purposes of securing multiple improper injured list placements during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.'"
He made a mistake and served his suspension time for it Now, he will have another shot with Milwaukee.
More must-reads:
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract talks could define Blue Jays' future
- Tigers complete trade with Brewers for 29-year-old outfielder
- The 'MLB home run leaders from 2024' quiz
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Tigers complete trade with Brewers for 29-year-old outfielder
The Tigers announced that they have acquired outfielder Brewer Hicklen from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. He was designated for assignment by Milwaukee on Thursday day as that club set its Opening Day roster. The Tigers have optioned him to Triple-A Toledo and transferred right-hander Ty Madden to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Hicklen, 29, has a tiny major league track record. The Brewers sent him to the plate five times last year, and he also got four plate appearances with the 2022 Royals. He struck out in eight of those nine appearances without a hit. The Tigers are surely more interested in his minor league work, which is greater in quality and quantity. He has a combined .244/.352/.469 batting line over the past four minor league seasons. That production leads to a 114 wRC+, indicating he’s been about 14% above league average. His 30.7% strikeout rate in that time is quite high but he also drew walks at a strong 11.7% clip and stole 140 bases. The Detroit outfield has taken a number of hits in recent weeks, particularly in center field. Each of Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez and Matt Vierling started the season on the injured list due to various ailments suffered during the spring. That left Riley Greene as the last man standing from what their projected outfield would have been a few months ago. Kerry Carpenter was once projected as the regular designated hitter but could perhaps move to the grass. That would open the DH spot for Spencer Torkelson, who was pushed off first base when the club signed Gleyber Torres to play second and moved Colt Keith to first. To bolster the group around Greene and Carpenter, the Tigers signed Manuel Margot, who had been released by the Brewers. They also recalled utility player Ryan Kreidler. Hicklen will give the club a bit of optionable outfield depth, alongside Justyn-Henry Malloy. Given his speed, perhaps Hicklen could carve out a role as a fourth outfielder who gets thrown in for pinch-running and defensive replacement opportunities. Until then, he will presumably get regular reps in the minors. As for Madden, he was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain in his throwing shoulder three weeks ago. His current timeline is unclear but this transfer means he can’t be reinstated until late May at the earliest.
Inside source reveals John Tortorella got into altercation with Flyers star before firing
More news continues to come out regarding John Tortorella’s last few weeks as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. In an article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Philadelphia-based reporter succinctly described Tortorella’s growing feud between Flyers management and defenseman Cam York. For context, York was benched for much of Tortorella’s last game as Philadelphia’s head coach and for the entirety of the Flyers’ game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, which interim head coach Brad Shaw described as a “disciplinary issue.” As mentioned in Kurz’s article, and later confirmed by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, there was a "heated verbal exchange" between Tortorella and York that led to the former’s ouster as head coach and the latter’s lack of ice time Thursday night. Kurz noted the growing tension between York and Tortorella dating back to the trade deadline, when after being a healthy scratch, York said, “I mean, I’m not playing to prove him anything. I’m playing for the guys in this locker room and the logo on my chest. I’m not playing for him, necessarily, if that makes sense.” Questioned about the incident after Thursday night’s contest, Kurz quoted York with a generically pacified response. “I’m not going to get into the details of it. I will say this, I take full responsibility for my actions. It’s been addressed here in the locker room. It’s something that I’m going to put behind me and move on from. We’ve got eight games left here and that’s my focus right now. We’ll leave it at that.” Frustration had been mounting around Tortorella at all levels of the Flyers organization, leading to his ouster shortly before the regular season’s conclusion. Other notes from the Eastern Conference: According to a team announcement, Andrei Svechnikov will return to the Carolina Hurricanes’ lineup tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The former second overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft had missed Carolina’s previous seven games with an upper-body injury. Despite being the fourth-highest scorer on the team, the Hurricanes have fared well without Svechnikov, managing a 5-2-0 record in his absence. Moving to the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins welcomed back defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who had missed the team’s last game due to a personal leave. Hopefully, for the Bruins’ sake, Zadorov’s return to the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night will give Boston a much-needed jolt. The team has performed dreadfully since the trade deadline in early March, managing a 2-7-1 record in its last 10 games while being outscored by a 19-goal margin.
Eagles’ Brandon Graham reveals Howie Roseman moment that spurred retirement decision
The Philadelphia Eagles took an important step toward 2025 with a signing. They also are considering a trade up in the draft. However, Brandon Graham’s retirement decision seemed to be spurred by a moment with Howie Roseman, according to ESPN.com. It came during Graham’s exit meeting with Roseman a week before the start of free agency that Graham said he knew for sure he would be stepping away from the game. “Howie said, ‘Man, this is such a fairy-tale ending for you,’ ” Graham said. “But I’m going to let you decide on what you want to do.’ I was like, ‘Man, you know what? It’s over. My prayer was pretty much said to me in a way to go ahead and retire.'” Eagles’ Brandon Graham saw the right timing Graham played only 13 snaps in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. He re-tore his triceps during the contest. But he said he took the injury in stride, according to his wife, Carlyne. “I can see it and it looked exactly how it looked when he (tore it) the first time, but he didn’t even care,” she said. “He’s like, ‘It is what it is. We’ll deal with it when we need to deal with it. Right now, we won the Super Bowl. I got to play in it. I got to play a few snaps. All that matters is I got this moment.’ He didn’t even really care.” And the reason he took it well, Carlyne said, is because of the way he feels about the Eagles and the city where they play. “I’m like, ‘Man, you really put your body on the line for this city.’ ” she said. “He really, really loves Philly. We don’t call you guys fans. We call you guys family because that’s what it feels like here. They love him and he loves him back.” Graham enjoyed a 15-year NFL career, all of them with the Eagles. One of the best seasons in his career came at the age of 34. That came in 2022 season, when he racked up 11 sacks.
Kawhi Leonard continues blistering form, Clippers put NBA on notice
Kawhi Leonard continued to remind the basketball world why he's a former two-time Finals MVP. The star forward dropped 31 points (10-of-14 FG) in just 27 minutes Friday as his LA Clippers routed the Brooklyn Nets, 132-100, to register their 10th win in 12 games. During the 12-game stretch, "The Klaw" has averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals at staggering shooting splits of 54/46/82. Evidence suggests that Leonard has fully recovered from the knee issue that sidelined him at the start of the season. He averaged 36.0 minutes in March, his highest workload in a single month of NBA action since the April stretch of the 2022-23 season. Leonard's late-season resurgence has made the Clippers the biggest dark horse team in the West entering the playoffs. ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes Tyronn Lue's squad is the second-best team in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, arguing that they will beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors in a playoff series. "They're playing outstanding basketball," Perkins said of the Clippers on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday. "When I look at the West, outside of Oklahoma City, everyone has pretty much been inconsistent and has some flaws... Again, the Clippers have one of the best coaches in the game, their guy Kawhi is back, and they have the pieces. They're my sleeper in the Western Conference." Perkins isn't wrong to state that nearly every team in the crowded West is vulnerable. The Nuggets and Grizzlies rank third and sixth on offense, respectively, but have struggled mightily on defense. The Lakers lack size in the interior and have placed 16th on defense since the All-Star break. The Rockets own the fourth-best defense but are suspect at closing games due to a middling offense. Unlike all those teams, the Clippers are clicking on both ends at the business end of the season. Since the All-Star break, they rank fifth on offense and have owned the third-best defense all season. The Thunder remain the only team in the West to place in the top 5 in offense and defense for the season, making them the prohibitive favorite. However, the Clippers may be their biggest threat.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
