Devine's elbow intervention

Joey Devine's elbow woes will shelve him for the start of the 2009 season. The most dominant pitcher in the A's bullpen will need a doctor visit to explore the severity of the issue. Until then, he'll wait for the news on the disabled list.

"I spent the entire off-season rehabbing it, and then it came back as soon as I got to game-ready (during) the first part of spring training, and that tells me there is something there," Devine said Tuesday before the A's 7-2 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals.Coupled with the elbow injury that has sidelined ace Justin Duchscherer, the A's open the season with a revamped offense but lacking two integral members of the pitching staff.

This means Brad Ziegler is Oakland's closer for the start of the season, and as long as Devine is a health risk, Ziegler will remain in that role.

Fantasy Impact: Owners who drafted Devine may want to look for a fallback option. If you can't afford to stash Devine on your roster or DL him, releasing him might be the best option. Saves will come available over the course of the year as Ziegler owners will tell you.

As for Ziegler inheriting the closer role, he's suited for the position. He did a good job last year for the A's and set the new MLB record for scoreless innings from his debut wirth 39. The knock on Ziegler is he doesn't strike people out, but he also didn't lose a single game he pitched while tossing nearly 60 innings as a 28-year-old rookie.