The Pittsburgh Pirates are shopping star center fielder Startling Marte, and the rumor mill has the Mets interested in working out a trade.

This would be a good fit because the Mets have been looking for a true center fielder and Marte, a two-time Gold Glove winner who was an All-Star in 2016, fits the mold.

Another club that could use Marte is the Yankees.

Yankees starting center fielder Aaron Hicks, who is early into his recovery from Tommy John surgery, might not play until July, and Marte would be about as good a fill-in as anyone … even better than bringing back free agent Brett Gardner.

When Hicks returns, Marte could move to left field, which would either move Mike Tauchman from a starting role to backup or slide Giancarlo Stanton from left field to full-time designated hitter.

What would it cost the Yankees to pry Marte from the rebuilding-again Pirates?

Our fantasy trade is a three-team deal that would send talented-but-expendable third baseman Miguel Andujar to the Pirates and left-handed starter J.A. Happ to the Atlanta Braves.

In addition to receiving Marte, the Yankees would get left-hander Sean Newcomb from the Braves, and Atlanta would send catching prospect William Contreras to Pittsburgh, and the Pirates would get third baseman Colin Moran from the Braves.

While parting with Andujar, the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, would hurt the Yankees’ depth, there are a lot of factors that would make this trade attractive for them.

1. The Yankees dealing for Marte probably would prevent Gardner from returning, and while this tradeoff would cost them a clubhouse leader who had a standout 2019, for basically the same money they’d be getting a better all-around player who is five years younger. Gardner, 36, probably will end up with a one-year deal for about $11.5 million, while Marte, 31, will make $11.5 million next season and has a $12.5 million club option or $1 million buyout for 2021.

2. Gardner had his best season last year batting .251 with 28 homers, 74 RBI, 10 steals and an .829 OPS in 141 games, but expecting big numbers again in 2020 might be asking too much for an aging player who looked about done during his down 2018 campaign. Meantime, Marte batted .295 with 23 homers, 82 RBI, 25 steals and an .845 OPS in 132 games last season and he might be better being part of a much deeper Yankees lineup.

3. The Yankees are committed to playing Gio Urshela at third base next season, and even before his breakout 2019, the club was down on Andujar’s defense so much that it tried trading him last winter.

4. Dumping Happ’s contract might be a must for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to get the go-ahead from ownership to add a No. 1 starter by signing Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg. Happ is due $17 million next year (plus possibly another $17 million in 2021 via vesting option), so that money off the books could lower the Yankees’ luxury tax payment next year with either Cole or Strasburg on the books for $35 million or so annually.

5. The Yankees would like to add a left-hander to their bullpen, and they could get that and more in Newcomb, who was a standout starter for Atlanta as a second-year player in 2018 and a good reliever last season. Depending on how the Yankees’ winter goes, Newcomb, 26, could be used as a starter and/or reliever in 2020.

6. Newcomb just missed being eligible for salary arbitration as a Super 2, so he’ll probably have a salary below $1 million in 2020.

As for the Pirates’ return, they’d be getting a very good young hitter in Andujar plus potentially a starting catcher by 2021 in Contreras, the younger brother of Cubs No. 1 catcher Willson Contreras.

The Pirates are weak at catcher at the major league level and none of their top 30 prospects is a catcher, according to MLB Pipeline. Also, the Braves are deep at catching in the majors and two of their top prospects are catchers, Shea Langelies (No. 5) and Contreras (No. 8).

As for the two-time reigning NL East champion Braves, they’d get a productive third baseman in Moran to replace free agent Josh Donaldson and fill a rotation opening with Happ, a 2018 All-Star who is coming off a down season but could cut down on his homers allowed pitching for Atlanta, which has a bigger home ballpark.

To sum up, this three-team fantasy trade seems fair for everyone, and most importantly, could benefit all three clubs in 2020 and beyond.

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.