CINCINNATI - The Athletics bulked up their outfield by getting former Devil Ray Jose Guillen from the Reds on Wednesday for right-hander Aaron Harang and two minor-league pitchers.
Guillen was the Reds' top hitter, filling in during Ken Griffey's two serious injuries. He was hitting .337, third in the NL, with 23 homers and 63 RBIs in 91 games.
The A's felt they needed a more productive outfield to pull off another second-half surge and overtake Seattle in the AL West. Oakland is 10th in the league in runs.
Eric Byrnes was the only consistent outfielder in the first half, but he started to tail off after the All-Star break. Chris Singleton, signed to a one-year contract in the offseason, has been benched.
Guillen, 27, is going to his fifth team in seven years. He started living up to expectations in Cincinnati but bristled at his backup role when Griffey was healthy enough to play.
"I appreciate the Reds giving me a new life so I could show people I can still play every day," Guillen said. "I would just love to stay here. I haven't felt so comfortable in a long time."
He was comfortable, but not always happy. When Griffey returned from a dislocated shoulder in May, Guillen demanded a trade rather than a return to a backup role. Guillen also threw three bats against a clubhouse wall in June after learning he wasn't starting that day.
A-ROD OPEN TO DEAL: Frustrated by losing, Alex Rodriguez is willing to consider a trade.
"If the Rangers found they could be better off without me, whether now or a year or two down the road, I'd be willing to sit down and talk," he said.
Rodriguez never had indicated publicly he would consider such a move.
CUBS ADD OUTFIELD DEPTH: The Rangers traded centerfielder Doug Glanville to Chicago for minor-league outfielder Jason Fransz and cash. Glanville hit .272 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 52 games.
EXPOS WANT STABILITY: Expos players and their union are unlikely to approve having the team play home games in different sites next year. The team met with Gene Orza, the No. 2 official of the players' association, which negotiated the agreement that allowed 22 home games to be moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
ELEVATOR ACCIDENT: The company that maintains escalators at Coors Field said overcrowding and a misconnected wire caused a malfunction that injured more than 30 people at a Rockies game July 2.
ANGELS: Anaheim released right-hander Kevin Appier, 35, who was 7-7 with a 5.63 ERA in 19 starts.
BRAVES: Second baseman Marcus Giles flied out to the warning track in his first at-bat against the Astros, ending a nine at-bat hit streak.
D'BACKS: Rush-hour traffic and a busy airport delayed outfielder Raul Mondesi's arrival at Pro Player Stadium, and he was scratched from the lineup shortly before game time. Mondesi was acquired Tuesday from the Yankees.
GIANTS: Barry Bonds hit several towering home runs to rightfield during batting practice, including one that cleared Sheffield Avenue and caromed off a third-story window of a brick apartment building.
INDIANS: Milton Bradley felt it was only appropriate to throw his bat in the direction of plate umpire Bruce Froemming on Tuesday night. "He already took it out of my hands," Cleveland's top hitter said. "I was just giving it to him." Bradley also threw his helmet during a tirade after being called out on strikes in the eighth.
PIRATES: Manager Lloyd McClendon said he's not upset with right-hander Kris Benson's decision to seek outside medical opinions about his sore pitching shoulder. Tests performed by team doctors didn't reveal any damage, but Benson said he still would be pitching if the problem were minor.
ROCKIES: Left-hander Denny Neagle had season-ending surgery to repair a ligament in his pitching elbow.
YANKEES: Right-hander Jon Lieber threw off a mound for the first time since an abdominal injury last month.
