Bregman coming back at this point would be a bit awkward because Houston has clearly conducted its offseason under the assumption that he was leaving. It traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and got back infielder Isaac Paredes, who has played the strong majority of his games at third base.

Jose Altuve stated his openness to a position change in the context of a specific pursuit, saying he would “do whatever,” including move from second base, if it helped the Houston Astros re-sign Alex Bregman.