NEW YORK (AP) — The Houston Astros acquired ace Zack Greinke on Wednesday, adding another All-Star to a formidable rotation that already included Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.

The AL West leaders got Greinke in a startling trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for four minor leaguers. It came right before the deadline to complete deals to have players eligible for the postseason.

“We are just really shocked and ecstatic,” Cole said before Houston played at Cleveland, adding, “I’m really proud to be an Astro right now.”

Cole said when the players learned of the deal there was “a lot of hooting and hollering at 4:07. We are ecstatic. We’re getting a Hall of Fame pitcher, a craftsman.”

Greinke pitched five innings earlier in the day at Yankee Stadium, giving up two runs to New York. He is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA this season.

Greinke left the ballpark without commenting to reporters.

The Astros won the 2017 World Series and lost the 2018 ALCS to eventual champion Boston. They loaded up again with the 35-year-old Greinke, getting a six-time All-Star and the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Greinke’s addition gives the Astros four starting pitchers with ERAs in the top 15 in the majors this year. Verlander is fifth with a 2.73 ERA, Greinke is ninth, Cole is 11th at 2.94 and Wade Miley ranks 14th at 3.06.

Verlander leads the AL in wins (14) and ERA, and Cole tops with the majors with 212 strikeouts.

Greinke has a $31.5 million salary this year as part of a $206.5 million, six-year contract. He is owed $32 million in both 2020 and 2021, and gets a $2 million bonus for being traded.

The Astros, who began the day with an eight-game division lead over Oakland, also acquired two other pitchers, getting starter Aaron Sanchez and reliever Joe Biagini from Toronto.

“Houston made some big deals. They’re really good. They were good before,” Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.

For Greinke, the Diamondbacks got right-handers J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin, outfielder Seth Beer and infielder Joshua Rojas.

For Biagini, Sanchez and minor league outfielder, the Blue Jays acquired outfielder Derek Fisher. The Astros also sent catcher Max Stassi to the Angels for minor league outfielders Rainier Rivas and Raider Uceta.

In 2017, Houston acquired Verlander from Detroit on Aug. 31, which was the last day for deals that season to make players eligible for the playoffs.

The Astros were in the market for another starter this year as the rotation behind their top three has performed inconsistently this season. Greinke provides a pronounced upgrade over the variety of pitchers they’ve cycled through to start behind their stars.

In a 16-year career with Kansas City, Milwaukee, the Angels, Dodgers and Diamondbacks, he’s gone 197-122.

The Diamondbacks added a pitcher for their rotation, getting Mike Leake from Seattle. He recently took a perfect game into the ninth inning, and was 9-8 with a 4.34 ERA.

———

CINCINNATI (AP) — Tanner Roark was on the road headed to Atlanta for the Cincinnati Reds’ next series when he stopped to get something to eat and learned that he’d be going in a much different direction.

The playoff-contending Oakland Athletics acquired Roark on Wednesday, filling out a rotation that also could have left-hander Sean Manaea back soon.

Oakland sent outfield prospect Jameson Hannah to Cincinnati. The Reds are sending Oakland $2.1 million to offset much of the $3,225,806 remaining in Roark’s $10 million salary.

The trade was announced about an hour before the deadline for making deals. The A’s began the day a half-game out of the second AL wild-card spot.

Roark lasted a season-low 3 1/3 innings during Cincinnati’s 11-4 loss to the Pirates on Tuesday. He is 6-7 in 21 starts with a 4.24 ERA and can become a free agent after the season, which left him a candidate for a midseason trade.

“I knew coming into the season that this was a possibility,” Roark said. “That’s how the game is. I’m excited about it. They’re playing good baseball. They’re in the wild-card hunt.”

With the Reds headed to Atlanta for their next series, Roark decided to drive on his own. He was about 20 minutes outside Cincinnati on Wednesday when he stopped to eat and saw reports that he was being traded.

“I realized I’d better turn around and come back,” he said, following the Reds’ 4-1 win on Wednesday.

The Reds traded Roark a few hours after getting Trevor Bauer from the Indians for right fielder Yaisel Puig in a three-team swap that included San Diego. Roark figured he was likely going to be dealt to open a spot in the rotation for Bauer.

“We had seven starters,” he said. “That’s two odd men out. It was in my head.”

Manaea struck out eight in six innings of a rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday night. He’s likely to get one more rehab start before being activated. He had shoulder surgery last September.

Also Wednesday, the A’s placed center fielder Ramón Laureano on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right calf — a move manager Bob Melvin announced after Tuesday’s 3-2 walkoff win in 10 innings over the Brewers. Catcher Josh Phegley also went on the injured list retroactive to July 29 with a bruised left thumb.

Right-handed pitcher Andrew Triggs was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Roark.

———

The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired right-hander Mike Leake from the Seattle Mariners for a minor leaguer.

Seattle will receive infielder Jose Caballero in the trade.

The deal came on the same day Arizona sent ace Zack Greinke to Houston for four prospects.

The 31-year-old Leake went 9-8 with a 4.40 ERA in 22 starts with the Mariners this season. He has played 10 big-league seasons, with stops in Cincinnati, San Francisco and St. Louis.

Leake was traded to Seattle from St. Louis for Rayder Ascanio in 2017.

___

The Giants have traded former closer Mark Melancon to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed reliever Daniel Winkler and a minor league pitcher.

Melancon signed a $62 million, four-year contract with San Francisco in December 2016 but didn’t emerge as the dominant closer he had been in part because of injuries. He had just 15 saves in his two-plus seasons with the Giants.

In addition, San Francisco sent right-handed reliever Sam Dyson to the Twins and kept 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.

The 34-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA in 43 appearances and 46 1/3 innings this season.

When the Giants acquired him, Melancon had saved at least 30 games in three straight seasons, recording a majors-best 51 in 2015. He went 47 for 51 in save opportunities in 75 relief appearances last season with Pittsburgh and Washington,

Winkler is 3-1 with a 4.98 ERA in 27 appearances this season. The Giants also received Class A pitcher Tristan Beck.

___

The Chicago Cubs acquired outfielder Nicholas Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers for two minor league pitchers.

The 27-year-old Castellanos hit .273 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs for Detroit this season. He’s played third base and in the outfield during his career and has been considered a liability defensively, but Castellanos gives Chicago a productive bat against left-handed pitching.

Detroit received right-handers Paul Richan and Alex Lange.

Castellanos is tied for the major league lead with 37 doubles. He has a .347 average and a 1.026 OPS this year in 72 at-bats against lefties.