OAKLAND (AP) — In yet another December trade by general manager Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics have acquired outfielder Corey Brown from the Washington Nationals for cash.

Brown has played in 36 major league games in parts of three seasons, batting .175 with two homers and four RBIs.

After recently trading Seth Smith to San Diego, the addition of Brown provides further depth to an outfield figuring to feature Yoenis Cespedes in left field, Coco Crisp in center and Josh Reddick in right.

The 28-year-old Brown, a first-round pick by Oakland in the 2007 amateur draft out of Oklahoma State, can play all three outfield positions.

Yanks’ log-jam in OF

Outfielder Carlos Beltran and the New York Yankees have finalized a $45 million, three-year contract.

The agreement, reached Dec. 6, was announced by the team Thursday. The eight-time All-Star is to be introduced at a Yankee Stadium news conference Friday.

The 36-year-old played for the Mets from 2005-11, when he was dealt to San Francisco. He signed a $26 million, two-year contract with St. Louis before the 2012 season and reached the World Series for the first time this year.

Slowed by knee injuries, Beltran has retained a potent bat — especially in October. He hit .296 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs for the Cardinals this year and added two homers and 15 RBIs in the postseason. Beltran injured ribs in the World Series opener when he banged into Fenway Park’s right-fight fence while robbing Boston’s David Ortiz of a grand slam.

New York seems to have a logjam among outfielders on its roster, a group that includes Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki, Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells.

Indians ‘close’ the deal

John Axford had other choices where he could pitch next season. The Indians closed the deal.

Axford, who had 46 saves for Milwaukee in 2011 but lost his closer’s job last season and was traded to St. Louis, finalized a $4.5 million, one-year contract on Thursday and will close for Cleveland in 2014.

The 30-year-old Axford had other teams interested in signing him, but he decided to join the Indians because of their turnaround in 2013, a strong clubhouse and manager Terry Francona, who sold Axford with his typical straightforward approach.