30 A's in 30 Days – Joey Devine

Acquired: Traded from Atlanta for Mark Kotsay (January 14, 2008).
Contract: One year thru 2009. Eligible for arbitration after 2010.
Position: Better damn well be "full time closer".

Projected ERA: 3.18

Over/Under: It ain't even April and Devine's already missed time this spring with a tender elbow. He's only topped 50 innings once in his five professional seasons and is just a few years removed from being better known as "that guy who gave up grand slams in his first two Major League appearances" or "Chris Burke's b*tch". I still like the UNDER for this grown man known as "Joey". Last year, after returning from a two-month stint on the DL, he didn't yield an earned run the rest of the season (24 games), posting a .097/.195/.097 opposing hitters' line.

By the Numbers: 14 – The number of Major League seasons for former big league reliever Gregg Olson – Devine's #2 comp according to Baseball Prospectus. Both were first round draft picks who were called up to the show a few weeks after finishing their college careers. If history were to further repeat itself, I will somehow end up with dozens of off-center Joey Devine rookie cards and then, 20 years later, I'd be stunned to learn Devine pitched for more than a dozen years. I mean, seriously, Gregg Olson was pitching this decade?

Surefire '09 Prediction: Meet your lone Oakland A's representative to the 2009 All-Star Game. He'll join Jay Howell (1985) and Justin Duchscherer (2005) as past Athletics relievers to be selected in years when no other teammates got the call.