After nine years with the Chicago White Sox, Jose Abreu is a free agent. He hit just 15 home runs in 2022 after a 30-homer performance season a year ago. However, he did hit .300 on the season and his strikeouts were down.

All told, the veteran first baseman is still a reliable player. So it makes sense that if a return to the White Sox is out of the question, other teams around the league have their eyes on Abreu.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the new World Series champion Houston Astros are interested in the 35-year-old's services. This comes after the team missed out on their top target, Yankees' first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

The Astros are not alone in their pursuit, however. MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports Abreu is the “top priority” of the San Diego Padres.

Whether a return to the White Sox really is in the cards remains to be seen. New White Sox manager Pedro Grifol expressed his desire to see the former AL MVP back with the team, but there may be other plans.

Reports indicate that the White Sox plan on moving Andrew Vaughn back to first base. Vaughn played first base in high school and college. He only moved to the outfield following an injury to Eloy Jimenez in 2021.

Vaughn's return to first base seems to indicate Abreu will move to another team in 2023. That bodes well for the Astros and Padres, who will battle it out to secure the former AL MVP this winter.