Guillen, however, told members of the media Tuesday before the Royals played at Oakland that the report was "completely untrue."

"Trust me, if I want to say I want out of Kansas City, you guys know me already. I can go straight to the GM or the owners and say, 'Get me out,'" Guillen said.

While Guillen and Hillman are talking, the relationship might be best called strained.

"Just to make it clear, I know Trey and myself have our differences, and we're not on the same page and sometimes I have to live with that because he's my boss. He's the manager and I have to do whatever he asks me to do," Guillen said.

Said Hillman, "Jose Guillen and I have never yelled at one another. We've never had cross words at each other. We've had differences of opinion, but he's expressed his differences very professionally and so have I."

Guillen's time with the Royals has been controversial. He has called his teammates "babies," thrown a chair in the Tampa Bay clubhouse in a confrontation with pitching coach Bob McClure, and said he doesn't gave a (darn) about the fans in Kansas City, who have booed him for not hustling when he said he was hurt.

"Sometimes I just feel more comfortable playing away than home," Guillen said. "I just like to play away more than home. That's just me. I have my kids and my family there in Kansas City, but, to me, it's not been too much fun playing at home."

Guillen is in the first year of a $36 million contract with the Royals, so more controversy can be anticipated.

ROYALS 5, A'S 2: Gil Meche pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out eight to pick up the victory. Mike Aviles homered, tripled and scored two runs. His solo shot in the sixth gave the Royals a 2-1 lead. John Buck's three-run homer in the seventh gave Meche a cushion.