CHICAGO – The Dodgers are in pursuit of Carlos Lee, according to a FoxSports.com report, as the Astros look to move the first baseman in the final year of a six-year, $100 million deal.

According to a person with knowledge of Lee’s contract, the Dodgers are among the 14 teams included in his limited no-trade clause, which overrides his usual 10-5 veto power. Lee’s permission would be required to send him to Los Angeles.

With the season nearing its halfway point, a trade in the coming days would put the Dodgers on the hook for roughly $9 million of Lee’s $18.5 million salary unless the Astros agree to pay some of it, which is a frequent occurrence in these types of deals.

Whether or not it is related is unknown, but Dodgers prospect Garrett Gould was scratched from a start against the Lancaster, the Astros’ high Class A affiliate. According to the Lancaster club, the scratch occurred an hour before the game for unknown reasons.

Gould, 20, was the Dodgers’ second-round pick in 2009 and has a 5.12 ERA for high Class A Rancho Cucamonga after compiling a 2.40 ERA for low Class A Great Lakes last year.

It makes sense that the Dodgers would be looking for not only hitting help with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier injured, but also first base help. As a group, Dodgers first basemen entered Friday night’s game against the Mets hitting .243 with a .641 on-base plus slugging percentage, which is the second-worst OPS in the National League.

Elkins High School alum James Loney has received most of the time at the position, but he has struggled and split time with Juan Rivera of late.

Lee, 36, is hitting .290 with a .754 OPS in regular playing time at first base with the exception of a recent 15-day stint on the disabled list for a hamstring strain. He has become much more of a contact hitter, maintaining an MLB-best ability to avoid strikeouts but also seeing his power numbers drop to just five home runs this year.