The 49ers hired Robert Saleh for a second stint as defensive coordinator on Friday night after a failed tenure as head coach of the Jets.

Saleh had been a candidate for head coaching jobs with the Jaguars, Cowboys and Raiders. But once those spots all got filled, Saleh made the decision to return to the 49ers as a coordinator to help rebuild a unit that was one of the league’s most dominant at the end of his first tenure.

Saleh will be fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons for the 49ers.

MLB: The door to re-signing free agent Alex Bregman is “cracked” open for the Astros, but keeping the third baseman with the team might still be a longshot, general manager Dana Brown said Saturday.

NBA: Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 of his 28 points in a dazzling 2-1/2 minute display late in the third quarter, Pascal Siakam scored 23 and the Pacers downed Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 136-98 in the NBA Paris Games finale on Saturday.

NHL: Facing the prospect of the Avalanche’s star winger Mikko Rantanen becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, general manager Chris MacFarland felt the timing was right to deal him away and bolster the Avalanche’s roster for the future. “I think it was just a tough business decision here for us,” MacFarland said Saturday before the Avalanche faced the Bruins. “I felt that the pieces we got made sense to strike now.” The Avs traded Rantanen in a three-team deal to the Hurricanes a night earlier, acquiring forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Soccer: Liverpool kept up its charge towards the Premier League title by thrashing Ipswich 4-1 and staying six points clear at the top on Saturday. Mohamed Salah scored his 100th league goal at Anfield and his 23rd overall this season.