Sometimes, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
At least, that might be the case for the Houston Astros and Alex Bregman.
According to a report from The Athletic's Chandler Rome, Houston has resumed talks with their longtime third baseman after general manager Dana Brown said negotiations stalled between the two sides in December.
Bregman would be returning to a very different roster in Houston, however. Since he hit the open market, the Astros have traded Kyle Tucker for a package including All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes and signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million deal.
Rome writes that "a lack of clarity in Bregman’s market across the past month may have allowed the Astros back into the fray" and that "unrest" in the clubhouse contributed to the team circling back.
The 30-year-old third baseman has spent his entire nine-year MLB career in Houston, earning two All-Star nods, a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and helping the club to World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.
In 2024, Bregman slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs and 30 doubles.
His free agency has developed slowly, with teams such as the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Detroit Tigers among his top-reported suitors.
Houston's "longstanding offer to Bregman remains on the table, but it’s unclear if the Astros will budge from the reported six years and $156 million it contained," one source told Rome.
As far as what Bregman returning to Houston would do for the rest of the lineup, Rome reported that the Astros would consider moving Jose Altuve to left field and shift Paredes to second base.
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