Astros acquire Jennings from Colorado

NEW YORK -- As Boston officials tried to work out a contract with Daisuke Matsuzaka before Thursday's deadline, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers found pitching help of their own.

Five days after a potential trade with the White Sox came apart, Houston acquired Jason Jennings and pitcher Miguel Asencio from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday for outfielder Willy Taveras and pitchers Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsh -- who all would have been sent to Chicago for Jon Garland.

Astros general manager Tim Purpura needed to replace Andy Pettitte, who left his hometown team Friday after three seasons to go back to the New York Yankees.

"This gives us a solid No. 2 starter and some depth in the bullpen," Purpura said. "It's an exciting day for us."

Eric Gagne and the Texas Rangers reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract worth about $6 million.

The agreement was confirmed by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The deal would allow Gagne to earn about $5 million more in performance bonuses.

"He's a guy who wants to win as well, so I think with him deciding to come here knowing what they're trying to do here, I think he also wants to be part of a winner," said Gagne's former Los Angeles Dodgers teammate, Kenny Lofton, who finalized his own $6 million deal with the Rangers.

Gagne, like Matsuzaka, is represented by agent Scott Boras. As the midnight Thursday EST deadline for Matsuzaka to sign approached, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein traveled to California and planned a day of talks Tuesday with Boras at the agent's offices in Newport Beach, Calif.