The trade of Ryan Pressly and Jose Altuve’s willingness to move from second base to left field has renewed hope that the Houston Astros may be able to re-sign Alex Bregman. That’s a huge change from just five weeks ago when general manager Dana Brown termed the negotiations with the free agent third baseman as “stalled” and appeared to close the door on a possible reunion.

Houston general manager Dana Brown says the door for re-signing free agent Alex Bregman is “cracked” open, but he acknowledges keeping the third baseman with the Astros would be a long shot.

HOUSTON — Though the Houston Astros have re-engaged in talks with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, general manager Dana Brown on Saturday characterized any potential reunion as a “long shot.”

Cora isn’t the only one who’s in favor of signing Bregman. New Red Sox pitcher Walker Buehler co-owns a horse with Bregman and revealed he made a pitch to his longtime friend to come join him in Boston. In 2024 for the Astros, Bregman hit .260 with 26 home runs, 75 RBI with a .768 OPS in 145 games.

If Bregman is back in Houston, team sources indicated he would play third base in place of Isaac Paredes, whom the Astros acquired as part of the three-player package for Tucker. In that scenario, both Paredes and Altuve could face a position change.