LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made a big push to lock up the NL West, acquiring slugging first baseman Jim Thome from the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Jon Garland from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The deals were announced by Los Angeles in the top of the eighth inning of Monday night's game against Arizona. Both trades were completed before the midnight EDT deadline required for postseason eligibility.
The White Sox get infielder Justin Fuller and will send cash to the Dodgers. It was not immediately known how much Chicago was sending to the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks will receive a player to be named for Garland.
Thome, who has not played first base since playing one game in 2007, goes from a third-place team trailing Detroit and Minnesota in the American League Central Division to the first-place Dodgers, who lead Colorado by 51/2 games in the NL West.
Dodgers general manager Ned Colleti envisions Thome playing a role similar to the one Matt Stairs filled for the World Series champion Phillies last year - he hit a key home run against the Dodgers in the NLCS. James Loney is the Dodgers first baseman.
"We're not brining him over here to play first base," Dodgers general manager Ned Colleti said. "We're bring him here to come off the bench and be a great influence in the clubhouse. He's one of the true great guys in the game.
"In fact, the night before the deadline he called me. ... He just said: 'I just want to be honest with you. I'd love to come. I want to help you guys any way I can. But playing first base is not something I'm going to be able to do - maybe in an emergency situation, perhaps.'"
The Dodgers, who entered Monday's games 12th in the NL with 114 homers, reunite Thome with Manny Ramirez. The power hitters with a combined 1,106 homers were teammates on the Cleveland Indians in the 1990s and went to the '97 World Series together.
The 39-year-old Thome is hitting .252 with 23 home runs and 74 RBI in 106 games this season. He has 564 career home runs.
Thome is owed $2,415,301 from his $13 million salary, and is eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.
The Dodgers will give a player to be named to the Diamondbacks for Garland, who is 8-11 with a 4.29 ERA. He gave up five hits and a walk over seven sharp innings in a 9-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Garland made one start in the 2005 World Series for the White Sox en route to the championship. He pitched a complete game to earn the win in his one start in the ALCS.
"He's somebody we had interest in this past winter and who we've watched for a while and have seen in our division. He's pitched in the postseason, he's been on a team that's won the World Series," Colleti said. "When you get to the month of August and you start looking for additional help and can add a veteran starter who can give you innings and is a winning-type player, you go for it."
Garland is due $1,161,202 from his $6.25 million salary. His contract includes a $10 million mutual option. He gets a $2.5 million buyout if the team declines and $1 million if he declines. Because he was traded, the Dodgers cannot offer him salary arbitration if he is a Type A free agent.