Astros Land Valverde
Written by Baqqs on 5:29 PMHOUSTON -- The Houston Astros announced today that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Jose Valverde from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for infielder Chris Burke and right-handed pitchers Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls. The announcement was made by General Manager Ed Wade.
"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. He's a huge addition to our pitching staff.
"We believe that Chad Qualls would have done a fine job for us on the back end, but acquiring a pitcher like Valverde, who has excelled in the ninth inning, made tremendous sense for us.
"We gave up a lot of talent in Qualls, Chris Burke and Juan Gutierrez, but adding Jose Valverde puts us another step closer to being a championship team."
Valverde, 28, was 1-4 with a 2.66 ERA (19ER/64.1IP) and a Major League-leading 47 saves for the Diamondbacks in 2007. His 47 saves also marked a career-high total, and he appeared on the National League All-Star team for the first time. The Arizona franchise-record 47 saves also ranked tied for 15th all-time in a single season, and Valverde also struck out 78 hitters in 64.1 innings while walking 26 and allowing 46 hits.
In 253 career Major League games, Valverde is 9-14 with a 3.29 ERA (95ER/260.0IP) and 98 saves. He has struck out 331 hitters in 260 innings while allowing only 194 hits. Valverde has pitched in five big leagues seasons from 2003-07, all with Arizona. Additionally, Valverde finished 14th in the 2007 National League Most Valuable Player with 19 points, and only Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy finished higher among pitchers in last season's MVP voting (Peavy totaled 97 points in the voting to finish seventh).
Burke, 27, hit .229 (73x319) with six home runs and 28 RBI in 111 games for Houston in 2007. In 359 career Major League games over four seasons with the Astros (2004-07), he has hit .249 (254x1020) with 20 home runs, 94 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. Burke's home run in the 18th inning of Game 4 of the 2005 NL Division Series ended the longest postseason game in Major League history and gave Houston an NLDS series win over Atlanta. He was Houston's first-round selection (10th overall) in the June 2001 draft.
Gutierrez, 24, was 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA (14ER/21.1IP) in seven games (three starts) for the Astros in 2007. In 26 games (25 starts) for Triple A Round Rock, he was 5-10 with a 4.15 ERA (72ER/156), striking out 108 and allowing 154 hits. He was originally signed by the club as a non-drafted free agent on Dec. 14, 2000.
Qualls, 29, went 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA (28ER/82.2IP) and five saves in 79 games for Houston in 2007. He has pitched in four seasons for the Astros from 2004-07, and he is 23-12 lifetime with a 3.39 ERA (107ER/284IP) and six saves. Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Qualls has pitched in 237 games, the most of any National League reliever.
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