HOUSTON -- Two days after sending Roy Oswalt to the Phillies, the Astros continued their wholesale youth movement on Saturday and completed another major trade by sending five-time All-Star first baseman Lance Berkman and cash to the Yankees in exchange for two Minor Leaguers.
Berkman, who spent his entire 11-year Major League career with the Astros and is considered one of the franchise's greatest players, will be in uniform on Saturday night for the Yankees when they face the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Astros received pitcher Mark Melancon, 25, and infielder Jimmy Paredes, 21, from the Yankees and will send $4 million to the Yankees, according to a person close to the negotiations.
The deal was all but completed on Friday, but it couldn't be announced until Saturday afternoon.
Berkman spent his entire career with the Astros since being selected in the first round of the 1997 Draft and ranks in the top three in franchise history in batting average (.296), home runs (326), runs scored (1,008), walks (1,040) and RBIs (1,090). He was hitting .245 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 85 games this year.
"I never thought I would be in this position -- never had to go through it," Berkman said on Friday. "It's unsettling, because you just don't know what's going to happen and there are all sorts of possibilities. I guess in one sense it's good because there are teams that want me to play for them, particularly in a down season."
Houston has already identified Berkman's replacement, having purchased the contract of first baseman Brett Wallace from Triple-A Round Rock. Wallace was acquired from the Blue Jays on Thursday for a prospect the Astros acquired when they sent Oswalt and cash to Philadelphia in exchange pitcher J.A. Happ and two Minor Leaguers.
Wallace is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Milwaukee.
The trades of Berkman and Oswalt -- two of the franchise's cornerstones in the 2000s -- signal a full-fledged commitment to youth by the Astros, who were already starting three rookies routinely: third baseman Chris Johnson, catcher Jason Castro and shortstop Angel Sanchez.
Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez is the only holdover from the 2005 World Series team, and left fielder Carlos Lee is the only big-money player left on the roster. Lee, who has two years left on his six-year, $100-million contract, has a no-trade clause and has repeatedly indicated a desire to remain in Houston.
Wallace, 23, hit .301 with 24 doubles, 18 home runs and 61 RBIs in 95 games at Triple-A Las Vegas this season. The Cardinals' first-round selection in the 2008 Draft, Wallace will report to the Astros' Triple-A affiliate at Round Rock and play first base.
"Brett Wallace is a hitting machine," Astros general manager Ed Wade said on Thursday. "No question about that. We've had our eye on him since the 2008 Draft. He was a first-round pick of the Cardinals at that point and has been in some pretty big trades."
Wallace, who attended Major League Spring Training with the Blue Jays this year, played college baseball at Arizona State and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2007 and '08. In '07, he won the conference's Triple Crown by hitting .423 with 16 homers and 78 RBIs while leading the Sun Devils to the College World Series.
Melancon, who had Tommy John surgery in October 2006, throws in the mid-90s, with a power breaking ball and good changeup. He was taken by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 Draft and is 18-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 14 saves in 123 career relief appearances. He's pitched 15 games in relief for the Yankees, posting a 4.87 ERA and spending most of this year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.Paredes, a Dominican switch-hitter, had been in the Yankees organization since being signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2006 and hit .282 with five homers, 48 RBIs and 36 stolen bases at Class A Charleston this year. He played 71 games at second, but he has also seen action at shortstop and third base.
Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com.
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