"Cust, who is expected to primarily fill the role of designated hitter now that Oakland has another fulltime outfielder in Coco Crisp, can earn an additional $350,000 in incentives, based on plate appearances.

The A's re-signed right-hander Justin Duchscherer last week.

Oakland had not offered Cust arbitration, but A's assistant general manager David Forst said, "We said all along that was not an indication of our desire to bring Jack back or not. We felt it was the right move from a resource standpoint."

Forst said the A's hope had been to "get the last crack at it" and top any other offers Cust received, but it never came to that. The A's made an outright proposal Wednesday that Cust accepted Thursday morning.

The A's agreed to terms with Cust - who hit 25 home runs last year and has led the team in homers each of the past three seasons - the same day that third baseman Adrian Beltre, an Oakland target, officially became a member of the Red Sox. The A's were competitive in their bid for Beltre, according to a major-league source, including offering the infielder more guaranteed years (three years at about $25 million, or two at roughly $18 million).

Beltre signed a one-year deal with an option that will pay him a minimum of $10 million, according to reports.

The pursuit of Beltre indicates that Oakland is still hoping to land a third baseman or a shortstop who also can play third. So, might onetime A's infielder Miguel Tejada wind up in the picture? Oakland has contacted his agent, and if Tejada came at a bargain rate, as Orlando Cabrera did last year, there is a possibility that something could work out."