OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have traded utilityman Ben Zobrist and cash to the Kansas City Royals for right-hander Aaron Brooks and minor league left-hander Sean Manaea.

The teams announced the trade Tuesday. The 34-year-old Zobrist, an infielder and outfielder, batted .268 with six home runs, 20 doubles, two triples and 33 RBIs in 67 games for the A’s, who are last in the AL West.

He joins a Royals team that leads the AL Central a season after beating Oakland in the one-game wild card on the way to its first World Series in 29 years and a seven-game loss to San Francisco.

Zobrist missed a month following arthroscopic left knee surgery in late April for a torn meniscus.

[naviga:h3]China’s Olympic bid faces questions[/naviga:h3]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two of China’s most storied winter Olympic athletes faced tough questions about Beijing bid’s for the 2022 Winter Games — namely about air pollution and a lack of snow.

Gold medalist pairs figure skaters Shen Zue and Zhao Hongbo came out of retirement to win gold at Vancouver in 2010, then retired again. The husband and wife are two of the Beijing bid’s ambassadors trying to convince the IOC that the Chinese city should be given hosting rights over Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The vote will be here on Friday.

On the sidelines of the IOC executive board meetings on Tuesday, the couple was asked about pollution in the Chinese capital and the lack of snow at the mountain venues of Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympics, is trying to become the first city to host a summer and winter games.

Shen said many Olympic ski competitions need artificial snow and “that is something that happens at many Winter Games.”

[naviga:h3]Mexico soccer team releases coach[/naviga:h3]

MEXICO CITY — Mexican national team coach Miguel Herrera was fired Tuesday following a television reporter’s claim that the man known as “El Piojo” punched him.

The ouster came just two days after Herrera led Mexico to victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. But Decio de Maria, who on Saturday becomes president of the Mexican Soccer Federation, said the incident with the journalist was not in keeping with “the spirit of fair and respectful competition” the organization espouses.

“Our values, our principles, are above any result,” de Maria said at a news conference. “In our profession, our industry, the matches are never over, and as public figures who represent an institution we must be absolutely clear on that.”