The 35-year-old Hawkins worked primarily as the setup man for closer Jose Valverde, and went 2-0 with an 0.43 ERA in 24 appearances (21 innings) for the Astros. Hawkins was 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA in 57 appearances overall.

"Bringing him in here gives us some real certainty in the eighth inning," Astros general manager Ed Wade.

The Astros also signed pitcher Chia-Jen Lo to a minor league contract, making the 22-year-old righty the franchise's first Taiwanese player.

Primarily a closer, Lo is currently at the Chinese Cultural University and will join the Astros at spring training. He pitched for Taiwan at the Beijing Olympics, allowing one earned run in two innings of relief against China.

The Astros pursued Hawkins to take pressure off 41-year-old Doug Brocail, who led the team with 47 relief appearances before the All-Star break. Brocail became a free agent after the season and Wade said Astros are negotiating to re-sign him.

"We were really concerned that we were going to wear him out sooner rather than later," Wade said. "When I talked to (Yankees general manager) Brian Cashman, he indicated that LaTroy was available. It just made sense, because he had that eighth-inning experience. We never expected it to be quite as profound as it was."

The Astros' bullpen had a 26-23 record in 2008 and ranked 13th in the majors with a 4.02 ERA.

"Bullpen strength is a big plus," Wade said. "To have an experienced guy like LaTroy back in uniform with us is a step in the right direction."