Altuve says he’d move to OF to keep Bregman

Published 2:02 pm Sunday, January 26, 2025

When Alex Bregman didn’t accept the Houston Astros’ reported offer of six years and $156 million early in the offseason, the club appeared to shut the door on his return by filling their infield with the acquisitions of third baseman Isaac Paredes and first baseman Christian Walker.

Then came what seemed like a crazy idea: What if Jose Altuve moved from second base to left field? That would allow Paredes to play second, where he’s started 53 games over his five-year big league career, and keep third base open for Bregman’s return. It was enough for general manager Dana Brown to admit the door of negotiations with Bregman “is cracked.”

Asked point-blank at Astros FanFest on Saturday if he’d be open to switching positions after playing second base almost exclusively in his 14 years in the majors, Altuve said he’ll do anything if it means holding on to his longtime teammate.

“For Alex, I’ll do whatever,” Altuve said. “He’s one of the best players in the whole league and he’s definitely one of the best players on the team. We want him to stay so whatever I have to do for him to stay, I’m willing to do it.”

Jeremy Peña, who has been Altuve’s double-play partner the past three seasons, hadn’t heard about the rumored position change until he arrived at Daikin Park on Saturday, but he wasn’t surprised about his teammate’s openness.

“He is selfless,” Peña said. “He cares about the team, he cares about his teammates. He wants to see you do well, genuinely. A lot of people say it, but he means it. He’s a guy of few words, so for him to be saying that, he truly believes it. He’s a guy who leads with his actions.”

The 34-year-old Altuve’s defensive range at second base has taken a step back, so moving him to the outfield could make some sense. It’s also a move with which fans of the franchise are familiar. Craig Biggio, who started his career at catcher, became a Gold Glove second baseman before moving to the outfield at 37 years old.

When asked if he’d ever played the outfield, the 5-foot-6 Altuve deadpanned, “Have you seen me?” Defensively, he’s played second base his entire career in the big leagues, aside from six innings he spent at shortstop spread over two games. In the minors, he played 10 games as a third baseman and 353 at second.

Yet, Joe Espada said he thinks Altuve could make the switch.

“Yes, because he’s so athletic and he can do some things on the baseball field that not a lot of people can do,” the Astros manager said. “If we get there, we’ll have that conversation with him, but his willingness to to do whatever it takes to win, it’s important to us. He’s a cornerstone of this team, he’s the heart of this organization, so he understands that. If we get to that point, I’m sure we’ll have that conversation with him and we’ll talk about how that’s going to look going forward.”

Espada also didn’t seem surprised about the sacrifice his second baseman is willing to make.

“I talk to Jose all the time, and there is this level of sadness about potentially not bringing (Bregman) back,” Espada said. “We all love Alex, respect Alex and he’s part of our family. Jose really wants him back and the rest of his teammates, so hopefully we’ll get something done, but yeah, Jose is one of those big advocates for Alex who understands how important he is in our clubhouse and in our lineup.”

Altuve broke it down in even simpler terms: Bregman gives the team its best chance of winning a third World Series, so how can the Astros make sure he stays in Houston instead of signing with any of the other pursuing teams, which includes the Red Sox, Tigers, Blue Jays and Cubs?

“I’d be willing to do everything if he stays. I want to win,” Altuve said. “He’s a guy who’s going to make this team better. We have a better chance to win a championship with him.”