HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros have acquired 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Mark Melancon and 21-year-old infielder Jimmy Paredes from the New York Yankees in exchange for first baseman Lance Berkman and cash, General Manager Ed Wade announced today.

Wade also announced that the Astros are purchasing the contract of first baseman Brett Wallace from Triple A Round Rock. Wallace is scheduled to be in the starting lineup for tonight’s 6:05 p.m. game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers.

Berkman, 34, had spent his entire career in the Astros organization since being selected in the first round of the 1997 June Draft. He currently ranks in the top three in franchise history in batting average (.296), home runs (326), runs scored (1,008), walks (1,040) and RBI (1,090). Berkman, a five-time All-Star, hit .245 (73x298) in 85 games in 2010 with 16 doubles, 13 home runs, 49 RBI and 60 walks.

The 23-year-old Wallace was acquired by the Astros from Toronto on Thursday in exchange for minor league outfielder Anthony Gose, who had been acquired from the Phillies earlier in the day in the Roy Oswalt-J.A. Happ deal. Prior to join­ing Houston, Wallace hit .301 with 24 doubles and 18 home runs in 95 games (.509 slg pct) at Triple A Las Vegas this season with 61 RBI. Wallace, who was selected in the first round of the June 2008 Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, played in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game and was named to the Arizona Fall League All-Prospect Team in 2008.

Wallace, who attended big league camp with the Blue Jays this season, played college baseball at Arizona State Univer­sity, and while there was named Pac-10 Player of the Year in both 2007-08. In 2007, he captured the conference’s Triple Crown, hitting .423 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI while leading Arizona State to the College World Series.

Melancon (6-2, 215 lbs), who was originally selected by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 June Draft, has an 18-3 career minor league record in 123 relief appearances with a 2.84 ERA (67ER/212IP), allowing just 178 hits in 212.0 in­nings of work with 209 strikeouts and 14 saves. Melancon has spent parts of the last two seasons (2009-10) in the Majors with New York, appearing in 15 games in relief (0-0 record) and posting a 4.87 ERA (11ER/20.1IP). He has spent most of the 2010 season with Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was 6-1 in 40 appearances with a 3.67 ERA (23ER/56.1IP) and six saves with 58 strikeouts. In 2009-10 combined at Triple A, Melancon is 11-2 in 84 appearances with a 3.20 ERA (46ER/129.1IP) and 134 strikeouts in 129.1 innings pitched and 10 saves. While at the University of Arizona, Melancon set a school record for saves.

Paredes (6-1, 178 lbs) had been in the Yankees organization since being signed as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2006. He hit .282 (114x404) in 99 games at Class A Charleston this season with 24 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 48 RBI and 36 stolen bases. Paredes has played 71 games at second base this season, but has also seen action at short­stop and third base. He has a .280 average (290x1036) in 265 career minor league games.

Today’s trade is the third in the last three days for Houston. On Thursday, the Astros acquired Happ and minor leaguers Gose (OF) and Jonathan Villar (SS) from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Oswalt. Gose was then sent to Toronto in exchange for Wallace.