Astros teammates’ Jose Altuve comments make Alex Bregman reunion buzz seem fishy

When the Houston Astros traded for Isaac Paredes and signed Christian Walker, it felt as if the Alex Bregman era with the organization had come to an end. The Astros expressed an interest in retaining Bregman, but his contract demands were more lofty than they were comfortable with, so they pivoted - and did so quite well.

Well, while a Bregman reunion in Houston is far from a guarantee, it certainly doesn't appear to be out of the question. The two-time All-Star has been on the open market all offseason and appears to be no closer to finding out where he'll play in 2025 than he did before the start of the winter. His inability to find an offer to his liking has kept the door open for Houston to swoop in.

The only question that both sides would have to answer - outside of the financial concerns, of course - is where would everyone play if Bregman were to return? Chandler Rome of The Athletic ($) reported that moving longtime second baseman Jose Altuve out to left field would be discussed with Bregman taking the reins at third base and Isaac Paredes moving to the keystone.

That idea sounded crazy, and sure enough, current members of the Astros can't envision a change of that magnitude taking place.

If Astros players can't see this happening, then was this rumor just more Scott Boras leverage games?

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Astros teammates' Jose Altuve comments make Alex Bregman reunion feel like Scott Boras leverage games

It isn't hard to see why Astros players can't see this move happening. Altuve has made 1,767 appearances in the field at the MLB level. 1,765 of them have been at second base. The only other two came at shortstop. He has played six total innings away from the keystone. Altuve does have a bit of experience at third base in the minor leagues, but that was over a decade ago, and he has not played an inning in the outfield professionally.

It isn't far-fetched to think Altuve would be open to a move if it meant keeping Bregman, a player who has been crucial in Houston's dynasty, around, but would the Astros want the 34-year-old making this kind of a move?

Paredes has 67 games of experience at second base in his MLB career, so it isn't as crazy to envision him moving there full-time, but he certainly fits better at a corner infield spot.

It really feels like this kind of drastic alignment all ties back to the Bregman camp's desperation stemming from Boras.

Bregman being available as long as he has suggests that he and Boras have not gotten an offer they deem to be acceptable. Leaking that the Astros are willing to give Bregman the six-year, $156 million deal that was reportedly on the table before the Paredes and Walker additions would theoretically put pressure on other teams interested like the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers to increase offers they might have sent Bregman's way. Outlining how it would work out would suggest Houston is serious about making these moves.

Sure, the Astros might actually be open to this - it'd honestly be pretty cool to see it happen - but it's the kind of thing everyone, including his Astros teammates, will have to see to believe.