While the Houston Astros still have interest in Alex Bregman, their discussions about a potential reunion with the free-agent third baseman have been mostly “internal,” general manager Dana Brown said Tuesday.

A reunion seemed unlikely after the Astros added corner infielders Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker last month, but the sides reportedly re-engaged last week with Bregman still on the free-agent market.

Brown downplayed the nature of those discussions Tuesday after the Astros finalized the trade of Ryan Pressly to the Cubs, a move that cleared some space on Houston’s payroll.

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“I think mostly, we’ve talked internally about (Bregman) still being available,” Brown said on a call with reporters. “We are definitely having conversations within our front office. We haven’t reached back out to (Bregman’s agent, Scott) Boras. At some point, it could turn to that.

“I know that we’re taking a deep look at what it would look like if we acquired him and how would it look for us financially, does it make sense to do it. We know that he’s a talented player, we’d love to have him. But I would mostly say it’s all internal conversations as to what we would like to do in terms of Bregman.”

Trading Pressly left Houston’s projected 2025 payroll about $5 million under the first competitive balance tax threshold, per Cot’s Contracts. Barring other moves, re-signing Bregman would greatly increase the Astros’ chances of exceeding the CBT for a second straight year. Houston’s initial offer to Bregman early this offseason was for a reported six years and $156 million.