The New York Mets know they need to retool their roster this winter after missing the playoffs.

One of the areas that needs to be improved is fielding, and the Mets have a variety of ways they can go about upgrading defensively. However, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes one of the best ways to do that is by trading for Nolan Arenado from the St. Louis Cardinals.

“There’s a lot the Mets need to address this winter, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post isn’t wrong to see the defense as a potentially overlooked priority,” Rymer wrote. “Per their minus-12 Outs Above Average, they had a bottom-10 defense this season. This alone should give the Mets some level of interest in Arenado. He’s a 10-time Gold Glover who remains a strong defender at third base, posting plus-3 OAA this season.”

Here is the full breakdown of the predicted hypothetical trade:

New York Mets acquire: 3B Nolan Arenado St. Louis Cardinals acquire: LHP Sean Manaea, RHP Jonathan Pintaro (Mets No. 17 prospect), Cash considerations

Adding Arenado’s defense would be a huge upgrade for the Mets. His bat isn’t what it used to be, but his glove can certainly make up for that at the hot corner. The Cardinals would also get Arenado’s contract off of their books, but they would have to, at least temporarily, take on Manaea’s contract.

“The Cardinals could then look to flip Manaea, either during the winter or in 2026 after (hopefully) he bounces back from an injury-marred year in which he had a 5.64 ERA,” wrote Rymer. “Pintaro would be a deal-sweetener of sorts for the Cardinals. He’s a mid-level prospect at best, but he has three above-average pitches, and he at least profiles as a specialist after holding righty batters to a .597 OPS in the minors this year.”

This trade would make sense for both teams as the Cardinals can start their rebuild after being stuck in the middle this season while the Mets get a major boost defensively in hopes of making a deep playoff run next year.