Houser's perfect outing shows what Stearns has seen in him for years

PORT ST. LUCIE -- David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, and right-hander Adrian Houser are on the same team once again.

Stearns knew of Houser’s talent when both were in the Astros' organization. Stearns was Houston's assistant general manager from 2013-15.

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Houser was already on the Brewers in 2015 when Milwaukee decided to name Stearns its general manager. Together, they went to the postseason in ‘20 and ‘21. In fact, Houser had his best year in ‘21, winning a career-high 10 games with a career-best 3.22 ERA. That season, he was attacking the zone, keeping the hitters off balance and using his sinker on both sides of the plate.

By December 2023, Stearns was putting together New York’s team when he acquired Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor from Milwaukee for right-handed pitching prospect Coleman Crow. Houser is expected to be in the Mets’ rotation when the season starts on March 28, when they will play the Brewers -- of all teams -- at Citi Field.

“I wasn’t expecting [the trade] at all,” Houser said. “But it’s great to be over here. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We are going to have a great season. It’s going to be a blast in New York this summer, and I can’t wait for that. But being with David … we are over here together. It’s kind of crazy how our roads kind of intertwine with each other. David is a great guy. I think he is going to do great here.”

If Sunday afternoon against the Tigers was any indication, Houser is expected to be a major contributor to a rotation that includes José Quintana and Luis Severino. Remember, Kodai Senga will not start the 2024 season on time because of a posterior capsule strain in his throwing shoulder.

Houser looked like his vintage 2021 self on Sunday. He retired all 10 batters he faced and struck out five over 3 1/3 innings during New York’s 3-2 loss to Detroit at Clover Park. It was his best outing of the spring. Houser had great fastball location, and he was getting outs with his sinker. It helped that he changed his mechanics by raising the front leg higher to give himself a little more time to sync up with the upper half of his body. In his previous two games, he was rushing to throw his pitches.

“I felt like I was finally pitching,” Houser said. “I was finally getting in a groove and getting synced up. I was changing some mechanics. I felt a little better today. We are getting close to right where we need to be.”