Good news Mets fans ... you don't completely suck this year -- so says Carlos Beltran, who says his former squad has a real shot to make a run this season.
Of course, the Mets were absolute trash last year -- racking up a pitiful 70-92 record ... 27 games behind first place in their division.
So, when we saw Beltran -- a 9-time All Star -- leaving Capitale in NYC, we asked if there's any real hope for success in MetLand.
"I think that the Mets are going to be okay," Beltran tells TMZ Sports ... "I think that the season is early, I think that they have a lot of talent so there's no doubt that they have the talent to bounce back."
"The pitching staff looks great, the most important thing right there is to try to keep this guy healthy, and I think they have a good manager who was able to manage the starting pitcher in Cleveland and I think he's going to do a pretty good job for them."
So, overall ... positivity from Beltran -- though he admits he hasn't been to a single Mets game yet this season.