The Angels hired Billy Eppler as their new general manager:

The 40-year-old Eppler replaces interim GM Bill Stoneman, who took over after Jerry Dipoto quit his job at midseason following his latest disagreement with Mike Scioscia, the longest-serving manager in baseball.

Eppler has long been considered a prime candidate to run his own team, and the Angels are giving him the chance. He was a finalist for the same job in 2011 when Angels owner Arte Moreno hired Dipoto.

“The Angels are committed to championship standards,” Eppler said in a statement released by the club. “They are committed to being a perennial contender, and many of the pieces are already in place for that to occur. I look forward to a collaborative effort as we look to enhance and advance every phase of the baseball operations department. This is an organization with a tremendous amount of talent on and off the field, and I am excited to begin the next chapter of Angels baseball.”

Eppler is everyone’s second choice. Twice he lost GM positions to Dipoto, and also lost to A.J. Preller. We’ll see what he can do that those two could not.

Update: One reason the Angels lost was the decline of Jered Weaver, who posted a 4.64 ERA, with declining strikeout numbers. If he’s near his career 3.40 ERA, the Angels likely win the extra two games needed to make the playoffs.