Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade continues to make moves in his first offseason on the job, acquiring right- hander Jose Valverde from the Diamondbacks Friday in exchange for a trio of players.

Wade, named the team's new GM in late September, announced that the Astros have sent infielder Chris Burke and right-handed pitchers Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls to Arizona for Valverde, who earned his first all-star berth in 2007 while saving 47 games for the National League West champion Diamondbacks.

"In Jose Valverde, we're adding an All-Star closer and one of the best stoppers in the game," said Wade. "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."

The 28-year-old Valverde went 1-4 with a 2.66 ERA in 64 1/3 innings last season, tying an Arizona franchise record for saves in a season. The native of the Dominican Republic struck out 78 hitters and allowed 46 hits while walking just 26. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound reliever has a career 9-14 record and 3.29 ERA to go with 98 saves in five seasons, all with the D-Backs.

Valverde finished 14th in the 2007 MVP voting, second-highest among pitchers behind only Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy of the Padres, who finished seventh.

This winter, Houston has already acquired shortstop Miguel Tejada from Baltimore, second baseman Kaz Matsui from Colorado, and a trio of players from Philadelphia in exchange for closer Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett.

Burke, 27, is the most highly touted of the three players the Diamondbacks will receive in return, though he comes off a season in which he hit just .229 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 111 games. A utility man who can play the outfield as well as multiple infield spots, Burke made a name for himself in the 2005 National League Division Series, when he ended the longest postseason game in Major League history with a walk-off home run to beat the Braves in the 18th inning of Game 4.

In four seasons, all with Houston, Burke has hit .249 with 20 homers and 94 RBI, stealing 31 bases and scoring 148 runs.

Qualls went 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA and five saves in 79 appearances for the Astros in 2007. He has a 23-12 record and a 3.39 ERA in four major league seasons, all spent with the Astros, and was a key member of a strong bullpen during the team's run to the World Series in 2005.

The 24-year old Gutierrez appeared in seven games - starting three - for the Astros in 2007, compiling a 1-1 record with a 5.91 ERA. He also started 25 games for Triple-A Round Rock, where he went 5-10 with a 4.15 ERA, striking out 108.