Kansas City, Mo. ? Fighting for their first playoff berth since 1985, the Kansas City Royals acquired right-handed reliever Al Levine from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Thursday for cash.

Levine, 35, was 3-5 with a 2.90 ERA in 36 games with the last-place Devil Rays. He joins a team that began Thursday with a two-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central.

“It’s exciting. That’s what you play for,” Levine said in Toronto after learning he was going to a playoff contender. “I’m happy to go, but I’m leaving a good group of guys. I’m very surprised.”

Kansas City is Levine’s fifth major-league team, following stints with the Chicago White Sox, Texas, Anaheim and Tampa Bay. He has a career record of 21-28 with nine saves and a 3.79 ERA in 323 games.

“He did a nice job for us, and I wished him nothing but the best,” Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella said. “We’ve got to look longer term than most teams. The only way we’re going to open up a roster spot for the young kids is by doing a move like this.”

Levine allowed 45 hits and 16 earned runs in 492/3 innings. He held opponents scoreless in 27 of his 36 outings.

“I know a lot about Al Levine,” Royals manager Tony Pena said. “I played with him in winter ball. He’s a sinker, slider pitcher. He has good command. He keeps the ball down and throws strikes. He’s a guy who can go two innings and can get left-handed hitters out.”

Levine went on the disabled list last season because of tendinitis in his shoulder, but Royals general manager Allard Baird said he was fine this year.

“Tony can use him as a setup guy or to bridge the gap from the sixth, seventh or eight innings,” Baird said.

“It was very important to us that we add depth to the bullpen. He adds strike-throwing ability and, obviously, performance.”

Although the deadline has passed for a player to be traded without clearing waivers, Baird said he still hoped to add a bat to the lineup.

“The waiver period has started and we anticipate a lot of quality players to go through them (waivers),” Baird said. “There’s a couple in particular that we feel we have a chance to acquire.”

Baird almost obtained a hitter before the deadline.

“I thought we were well on our way, but I don’t want to use the word close,” he said. “You either do or you don’t.”

An 11th-round pick of the White Sox in the 1991 amateur draft, he made his major-league debut in 1996.

His best season was 2001, when he was 8-10 with a 2.38 ERA and two saves in 64 games, including one start, with the Angels.

“We’re not going to win a division next year or go into the wild-card spot next year, so we’ve got to look at kids,” Piniella said. “We said that coming in, and that’s what we’re doing.”