HOUSTON -- Astros general manager Ed Wade continued the roster-shaping process Tuesday with the addition of free agent utilityman Geoff Blum to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million plus incentives. The contract includes a club option for a second year.

Blum might not be the only former Astros player returning to Houston by way of San Diego, as Wade confirmed the Astros are interested in right-hander Doug Brocail, Blum's teammate with the Padres in 2007.

"We're happy to have Geoff back in an Astros uniform," Wade said. "He is a very versatile player who can fill a lot of defensive roles and he swings a very good bat. While his versatility is a big plus, Geoff also has the ability to go out and play one position on a regular basis, giving us a lot of protection on the field. Plus, he's got great makeup and will bring energy to our club."

The 34-year-old hit .252 with five home runs and 33 RBIs for San Diego in 2007. In 122 games last season, he appeared at five different positions, including second base (61), third base (13), shortstop (12), left field (9) and first base (1). The majority of his starts were made as a second baseman (55). The switch-hitter spent the last two seasons with San Diego and appeared in four games for the Padres in the 2006 National League Division Series vs. St. Louis.

Blum, who spent the 2002-03 seasons with Houston, beat the Astros with a home run for the Chicago White Sox in the 14th inning of Game 3 of the 2005 World Series.

Blum owns a .251 career average with 71 home runs and 344 RBIs in 1,022 games since 1999. He has appeared at every position except catcher, pitcher and center field in his career. Additionally, Blum has appeared at all four infield spots in each of the past eight seasons.

During his past three seasons, Blum has been an integral utility player on three winning teams, including the World Series club with Chicago and a division championship club with San Diego in 2006. In the past three years, Blum's teams have a combined winning percentage of .567.

Brocail, 40, told Houston television station KRIV that he would like to rejoin the Astros, a team he last pitched for in 1996, and that his agent, Barry Meister, had been pursuing that possibility on his behalf.

"I would like to be an Astro and pitch here in Houston," Brocail told KRIV. "It's still my home. They know that. We're trying to get there."

The 13-year veteran missed the 2001-03 seasons after having multiple surgeries on his right elbow. He also underwent a pair of angioplasties in the spring of 2006 to remove a coronary blockage.

Brocail came back big, and in 2007 he went 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 67 games for San Diego. In his last seven seasons, a span of 426 innings, Brocail has allowed just 27 home runs despite facing more than 1,800 batters. He was particularly effective in the seventh inning. Of the 20 times San Diego manager Bud Black summoned Brocail to work the seventh, 17 times the right-hander held the opposition scoreless.

The veteran would seem to fit in a young bullpen that recently added right-handers Geoff Geary and Oscar Villarreal to go with right-handed setup man Chad Qualls. Combined with holdovers such as Dave Borkowski, Trever Miller, Dennis Sarfate and Chris Sampson, manager Cecil Cooper will have added depth in the bullpen.

In other news, Wade announced that the Astros have purchased the contracts of right-handed pitchers Samuel Gervacio, Brad James and Chad Reineke and added the players to the club's 40-man roster. The team also announced that the Pittsburgh Pirates were awarded the contract of right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier on an irrevocable waiver claim, removing him from the 40-man roster.

Gervacio, 22, was 1-3 with a team-high 18 saves and 2.44 ERA, including 80 strikeouts in 39 games for Class A Salem last season. He was named a 2007 Carolina League All-Star. Gervacio finished the season at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he was 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 13 games.

James, 23, split the 2007 season between Salem and Corpus Christi and finished the season 1-5 with a 5.17 ERA in nine games -- all starts -- for the Hooks. The Carolina League All-Star played 16 games for Salem and was 9-2 with a league-best 1.98 ERA.

Reineke, 25, posted a 4.68 ERA with a 5-5 record in 32 games (16 starts) for the Triple-A Round Rock Express in 2007.

Barthmaier, 23, was 2-9 with a 6.20 ERA in 24 games (16 starts) for Corpus Christi last season. The right-hander earned South Atlantic League All-Star and postseason All-Star honors while posting a 2.27 ERA in 2005.

The Houston 40-man roster now stands at 34 players.