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Astros purchase contracts of Abad, Sutil

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Wladimir Sutil stole 19 bases for Double-A Corpus Christi in 2009. (Andrew Woolley/MiLB.com)

By Brian McTaggart / MLB.com

11/05/09 7:02 PM EST

HOUSTON -- The Astros purchased the contracts of Minor Leaguers left-hander Fernando Abad and shortstop Wladimir Sutil on Thursday and added them to the 40-man roster to protect from the possibility of losing them in next month's Rule 5 Draft.

The 40-man roster must be set by Nov. 20, and Abad and Sutil had to be added to the roster by Monday or become Minor League free agents. By being placed on the 40-man roster, Abad and Sutil will be invited to their first Major League Spring Training.

"There was a very strong consensus of opinion that both of these kids belonged on the 40-man roster and we didn't want to lose them," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "Sutil is a very athletic infielder and has done a real nice job the last couple of years and continues to turn corners, and we like the pitcher's arm and stuff. We didn't want risk losing them to another club, so we put them on the 40-man roster and will put them in the mix for Spring Training."

Abad, 23, spent the majority of last season at Class A Lancaster and went 4-6 with a 4.14 ERA in 41 relief appearances with eight walks and 79 strikeouts. He started three games at Double-A Corpus Christi and was 0-1 with a 3.21 ERA.

Abad was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in 2002 out of the Dominican Republic and spent four seasons playing in the Dominican Summer League before coming to the U.S. in 2007. In seven seasons in the farm system, he has a 2.70 ERA in 146 appearances with 437 strikeouts and 59 walks.

Sutil, 25, hit .273 with 77 runs, 21 doubles, one homer, 37 RBIs and 19 stolen bases last season at Corpus Christi and is considered a stellar defender. Sutil, who was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in May of 2003, reached career highs this season in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles and RBIs. He also had more walks (44) than strikeouts (42) and was the Corpus Christi Offensive Player of the Month for June.

Players who are four years removed from signing their first pro contract generally must be placed on the 40-man roster or be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, though there are exceptions based on the players' ages and amateur experience.

Brian McTaggart is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.