It’s mid-February, and for baseball fans that doesn’t mean a few more weeks of winter; it means warm weather, sunny skies ‘ in Florida and Arizona ‘ and spring training baseball.

New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya has made plenty of changes this offseason, the majority of them dealing with the pitching staff. Expect to see these new faces when the Mets gear up for their regular season in Port St. Lucie for the next six weeks.

The biggest addition to the Mets’ roster is veteran outfielder Moises Alou. There is a school of thought that says that if a washed up 40-year-old is the biggest acquisition, then the Mets have not made much of a splash. This is not the case this year.

This 40-year-old still has some pop in his bat, hitting .349 against left-handed pitchers and .320 with runners in scoring position last year. And as a righty, Alou should help balance out the predominantly left-handed Mets batting order. He’ll be playing left field in place of departed dependable but oft-injured outfielder Cliff Floyd, and will likely bat sixth between David Wright and Shawn Green.

The Mets brought in a few other position players this offseason, acquiring outfielder David Newhan and signing Damion Easley to be their utility infielder, replacing Chris Woodward, who left for a job with the Braves.

As for the pitching, the staff could look very different from the one that carried the Mets to game seven of the NLCS last year. After losing pitchers to injuries, free agency and suspension, the only definite returning Mets pitchers are Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano and Billy Wagner.

Guillermo Mota will start the season serving a 50-game suspension for steroid use. Pedro Martinez underwent rotator cuff surgery and doctors, despite optimism, say he won’t be able to return until after the All Star break. Left-hander Dave Williams had surgery on a herniated disk and won’t be in the bullpen until June. And relievers Darren Oliver, Roberto Hernandez and Chad Bradford, as well as starters Brian Bannister and Steve Trachsel, were all lost to free agency. Royce Ring and Heath Bell, two hurlers the Mets had high hopes for, were sent to the Padres in a trade.

In trying to reconstruct the staff, Minaya seems to have gathered a collection of mediocre pitchers in hopes that pitching coach Rick Peterson can help them achieve their potential. Among these projects is Jorge Sosa, a right-hander who came over from the Braves after going 3-11 with a 5.42 ERA in 2006, an unimpressive follow-up to his 13-3, 2.55 numbers in 2005. Minaya also brought in Ambiorix Burgos, a young power pitcher from Kansas City who averaged more than a strikeout per inning, but threw 19 wild pitches in 136 2/3 innings.

A lot of faith is also being placed on prospects Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey, the Mets’ first-round draft picks of 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Interestingly, the Mets did bring in a few other names that fans know besides Alou ‘ Chan Ho Park, Aaron Sele and Scott Schoeneweis. Park and Sele have struggled mightily in recent years, only joining the Amazin’s after agreeing to inexpensive contracts, and Schoeneweis will be used to getting lefties out, after holding left-handed batters to only a .209 batting average.

Although seven of the eight starting position players will be the same as last year, this season’s Mets team will have a new feel and the new players will have to learn their roles if the Mets want to make another postseason run.