HOUSTON — The idea of Jose Altuve playing left field for the Astros first surfaced last week. It was reportedly Altuve's idea as a way to shift things around to make room for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to return.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said he expects Altuve to take reps practicing as a left fielder next month during the team's Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Florida. Altuve has never logged a game in the outfield across his 14 MLB seasons, and he's logged just two starts at shortstop, his only non-second-base position to date.

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.

During the Ryan Pressly trade conference call Tuesday, Astros GM Dana Brown acknowledged the team has talked internally about a reunion with Alex Bregman, though he added he has not yet reached out to agent Scott Boras.

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.

The Astros are eager to bring Alex Bregman back to Houston and have offered him a new contract. According to the renowned New York Post columnist Jon Heyman, the Texas team’s management is ready to strike a deal with the All-Star third baseman from the MLB for $156 million over six years.