--3B Casey McGehee was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. McGehee, 26, was a 10th-round pick in 2003 by the Cubs out of Fresno State. He played this year at Class AAA Iowa, where he batted .296 with 30 doubles, 12 home runs and 92 RBIs in 133 games. He also hit .167 in nine games in a stint the Cubs this year.
--INF Joe Dillon was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for McGehee. --SS Brent Brewer, considered one of the top prospects in the organization, was assigned to the Arizona Fall League as a replacement for 3B Taylor Green, who suffered a broken nose when hit by a bad-hop grounder.
--Dale Sveum, who moved from third base coach to interim manager when Ned Yost was fired with 12 games remaining in the season, has been invited to join new manager Ken Macha's staff. Sveum's role was left open-ended.
--CF Mike Cameron has a $10 million club option for 2009 on his contract. GM Doug Melvin said he had not decided if he would pick up that option.
BY THE NUMBERS: .568 -- The winning percentage of manager Ken Macha during the four years he piloted the Oakland A's from 2003-06.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're a lot alike. He's a baseball lifer, just like me. We're boring people. I'll have a good relationship with him because our backgrounds are so similar." -- GM Doug Melvin, after hiring new manager Ken Macha.
