Primarily monitoring the bullpen market, the Houston Astros are reportedly flirting with the Chicago White Sox over first baseman Jose Abreu and could pivot to acquire the slugger, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.

Despite leading the division by 3 1/2 games with the second-most wins in Major League Baseball, the Astros are in the middle of the pack when it comes to offensive production at the traditional slugging spots in the lineup. Houston ranks sixth and fifth at first base and designated hitter, respectively, among American League clubs, according to FanGraphs' wRC+.

Abreu boasts a stronger track record than current Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel, but has been underwhelming this season. With Abreu posting a passable .766 OPS over 87 games this year, Gurriel's .775 OPS is comparable over his 71 games. That being said, Abreu has outslugged his Houston counterpart, with 12 homers compared to Gurriel's six.

The 31-year-old Abreu is under team control through the 2019 season heading into his final year of arbitration.

For a team that underwent an aggressive rebuild over the past few seasons, Abreu is the last potential big trade chip remaining on the White Sox. Rick Hahn and the rest of the White Sox front office opted to retain Abreu in the early stages of the rebuild. However, at 30-59 this season - 20 games back of first place - Chicago could wind up making him available ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.