Adrian Houser makes bold claim about 2024 Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher Adrian Houser wants everyone to know that individuals inside the clubhouse aren't as pessimistic about the 2024 Amazins as many within the MLB community are. 

"I think we’ve got a good group here," Houser said about the Mets following his spring training start versus the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, according to Alex Smith of SNY. "I think if you talk to a lot of guys, they feel like they didn’t play up to their standards or what they thought they could be last year. I think with the additions that have come in and just with what was already here, I think we’re gonna be a really good team. I think we might be under the radar a little bit, people might not expect it, but I think this team has a really good chance to win a lot of ball games." 

The Mets completed a pre-trade deadline fire sale that included acquiring prospects for co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer last summer. David Stearns then became Mets president of baseball operations this past October, and the combination of Stearns and big-spending team owner Steve Cohen failed to convince two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to join the club as free agents. 

After the Mets struck out on Ohtani and Yamamoto, Stearns settled for underwhelming moves such as acquiring Houser from the Milwaukee Brewers in December. Houser, 31, posted a record of 31-34 with a 4.00 ERA across 97 starts with Milwaukee that he made from 2019 through last season. He is, however, expected to be a contributor for the Mets right out of the gates with ace Kodai Senga opening the regular season on the injured list because of a moderate posterior capsule strain in his throwing shoulder. 

Stearns, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and shortstop Francisco Lindor are among others associated with the Mets who previously suggested they care little about preseason predictions. As of late Monday morning, PECOTA projections shared by Baseball Prospectus predicted that the Mets will earn 83 regular-season wins this year. At that same time, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 2024 Mets' over/under win total at 81.5. 

Smith mentioned in a different piece that Houser tossed 3.1 perfect innings with five strikeouts against Detroit. First-year manager Carlos Mendoza may need plenty more of the same from Houser and others in the rotation for the Mets to remain in the playoff hunt through at least this coming summer's trade deadline.