A’s acquire veteran slugger Adam Dunn from the White Sox

The A’s announced the trade Sunday morning on their official Twitter account …

#Athletics acquire Adam Dunn and cash considerations from the Chicago White Sox for minor league pitcher Nolan Sanburn.

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) August 31, 2014

Oakland was on Dunn’s no-trade list, but he waived that veto power because he wants a taste of postseason baseball for the first time in his 14-year major league career. The 34-year-old will presumably take over as the A’s primary designated hitter. He was batting .220/.340/.433 with 20 home runs and 54 RBI in 106 games this season for Chicago and can provide a nice left-handed power boost to the struggling Athletics offense.

Dunn is making $15 million in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal. He’s owed about $2.5 million.

Sanburn was a second-round pick in 2012. The reliever owns a cool 2.92 ERA in 120 minor league innings.

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Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that Phillies owner John Middleton flew to Las Vegas for a meeting with Bryce Harper on Friday. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it’s “more of a meet-and-greet than a sign-a-deal” affair, but as the club is still at the forefront of trade rumors involving the All-Star slugger, there remains a possibility (however slight) that something could be completed in the days to come.

Even now, the Phillies aren’t alone in the race to sign Harper, but recent rumors have helped whittle down the competition from five or more teams (Phillies, Nationals, White Sox, Giants, and Padres) to three strong contenders. The Giants are said to be interested in a lucrative short-term deal with the outfielder, while the Padres remain in the conversation despite inking Manny Machado to a mammoth 10-year, $300 million contract this week. It’s not yet clear just how far either team would go to outbid Philadelphia as talks with Harper intensify.

As for the Nationals and White Sox, the former officially bowed out earlier today, and MLB Network’s Jon Heyman adds that the latter won’t make a strong play for Harper as they feel the asking price and competing offers are “getting too high” for the 26-year-old’s services. If a mystery team is still in the mix, there’s been no word on their standing with Harper in the last month or so.