OAKLAND, Calif. -- Fighting every instinct in his wheeling, dealing soul, Billy Beane made no moves at baseball's trading deadline.

Barring a late-season waiver deal of some sort, the Oakland Athletics will play the final two months of the season with the same roster that improved to 61-47 with a 6-4 victory over Cleveland on Wednesday.

The A's are winning, but they're still stuck in third place in the AL West behind powerful Seattle and surprising Anaheim. Beane, the general manager whose trading acumen is recognized throughout the sport, avoided a blockbuster deal because he believes Oakland has the necessary players to get past them.

''You always want to put the big cherry on top with some move that has a big psychological impact on your team, but we didn't think it was necessary or possible,'' Beane said. ''Basically, we're pleased with what we've got.''

Oakland made two relatively minor moves in the days before the deadline, acquiring infielder Ray Durham from the White Sox and grabbing left-handed reliever Ricardo Rincon from Cleveland. In both deals, the A's gave up middling minor league prospects to supplement their roster for the playoff drive.

Beane's peace is admirable but uncharacteristic. After all, this is the man who has traded for Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Cory Lidle, David Justice, Ted Lilly and Billy Koch, among others, in the last 20 months. This is the man who swings three-team trades with unmatched ease.

Oakland largely has improved from within this season, compensating for the loss of Jason Giambi to the wealthy Yankees with a team effort helped by everyone from Scott Hatteberg to All-Star Miguel Tejada.

The A's acquired Lilly from the Yankees nearly four weeks ago, though he headed almost straight to the disabled list. Rookie Aaron Harang has stepped into the rotation, while Lilly's acquisition appeared to motivate Lidle, who's been inconsistent, back to something near his form last season.

''We like our team right now the way it is,'' said leadoff hitter Mark Ellis, who arrived along with Lidle in the outstanding trade that brought Damon to Oakland for 2001. ''We've got the guys here to do it, and I'm glad management decided they liked the team, too.''

In recent seasons, Beane has made use of the A's fertile minor league system to land the major leaguers he covets. He admits the farm system has been stretched, so in addition to adding six high selections in the June draft, he kept his top prospects in the franchise this season.

''I was joking with Eric (Chavez) the other day that the most nervous player in America right now is a minor-league player with the A's,'' Beane said. ''They never know what's going to happen. One of our minor league managers can have his whole team wiped out.''