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Update: Angels have hired Yankees' Billy Eppler as General Manager

By Josh Mayhood
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels have been searching under every and any MLB rock these past few weeks, all in search of their next general manager. As we all know, Jerry Dipoto resigned in July and Bill Stoneman was tabbed with interim duties. The organization as a whole has probably been mostly preoccupied with the on-field insanity and accompanying playoff climb, but bits of info here and there have been released to the media, showing that they're definitely is some movement behind the scenes to get a new GM.

They have been linked to at least a half dozen people from various positions throughout the league, but perhaps the most intriguing and seemingly most-likely candidates were in-house guys Matt Klentak and Scott Servais. Klentak and Servais were Dipoto guys, and would appear to have a good working relationship with the front office and head honchos, something that put them ahead of the pack in many onlooker's eyes.

We're learning today, though, that isn't the case at all, and in fact, they've eliminated the internal candidates altogether.This has writers speculating that they've narrowed in on their favorite for the job, and it's Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler. Eppler was hired by the Yankees in 2005, and retooled their entire scouting department, of which he also presides over on the day to day.

He's been a front runner for the job since early September, and with the elimination of the in house guys Klentak and Servais(and Hal Morris, if you think he was ever an actual candidate), it seems like it's a foregone conclusion that he'll be offered the job.

All eyes would be on Eppler, and how well he can get along with an owner/manager situation that drove another talented baseball mind away just months ago. He has his work cut out for him, to say the very least. In the meantime, the team that Dipoto assembled(mostly) is fighting for their lives in game 162 today. Shine on you crazy front office diamonds.

UPDATE: It's being confirmed by just about every Angels writer that Billy Eppler is indeed our new General Manager. They will make the announcement tomorrow.

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