The Houston Astros have acquired Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star closer Jose Valverde. In exchange for Valverde, the Astros have shipped Chad Qualls, Chris Burke and Juan Gutierrez to the Diamondbacks.
In 2007, Valverde led all MLB closers with 47 saves with a 2.66 ERA. This marks another home run in the Ed Wade era who has made a major overhaul for an Astros team who suffered its second losing season since 2000.
"In Jose Valverde, we're adding an All-Star closer and one of the best stoppers in the game. He led the Majors in saves last year and most of them came in tight, one-run situations for a team that was in the thick of a pennant race," Ed Wade stated.
Ready to get your 2008 season tickets!? The Astros will be hosting Select-A-Seat Day tomorrow at Minute Maid Park from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission is free.
Photo courtsey of Flickr user Al_HikesAZ
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Big Trade Wade strikes again. Valverde looks to be a big upgrade over Lidge, so run the numbers this way:
Lidge + Qualls + Burke = Bourn + Valverde (margin of error: a few scrubs)
I like the way that adds up.