July 24, 2011; Bronx, NY, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Joey Devine (33) pitches during the eighth inning against the against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees defeated the A

Last night, the Athletics revealed that their right-handed reliever Joey Devine will undergo surgery on his right elbow. The surgery, which is yet another setback for the reliever, will be performed today by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. according to the associated press.

Devine, 28, underwent Tommy John Surgery back in 2009. Since the surgery Devine has had some trouble finding his way back to Oakland’s bullpen. The A’s would love to have Devine healthy and ready to go, but the team knows that injuries are part of the game.

In 2008, Devine went 6-1 with a 0.59 ERA in 42 appearances for the Athletics. After his impressive start with the Athletics, Devine’s career hit a few roadblocks. The biggest one, though, came in 2009 when the right-hander had Tommy John Surgery.

He made a brief comeback with the A’s last season, going 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 26 appearances. This year, though, has been a frustrating one for Devine, who has not yet made an appearance with the A’s.

Tuesday’s surgery could potentially cost Devine all of 2012, but more details involving the procedure will not be known until later today.

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Closing Time: Will The A's Trade Closer Andrew Bailey? (Photo Credit: AP)

Now that Jonathan Papelbon is off the market thanks to the Philadelphia Phillies’ aggressive, four-year $50 million deal, teams in need of relief pitching will have to scour what’s left in the free agent market.

Entering the offseason, it’s expected that the A’s will most likely be sellers for most of the winter. Except for 2B Jemile Weeks, the A’s are figured to make all of their players available to trade.

Closer Andrew Bailey, who the A’s have under control through 2015, could be a trade target for teams in search of relievers. Rumors have been swirling around Oakland lately, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the team traded Bailey, or any other pitcher for that matter.

But because he’s under control through the 2015 season, it’s figured that Bailey’s price tag would be rather high. MLBTradeRumors.com seems to think that Bailey, if traded, could bring the A’s several well-regarded prospects in return. (more…)

Bailey, 25, has been sidelined since March, but the A’s young righty has been making significant strides towards returning to Oakland. With Balfour pitching well, however, Bailey probably will have to wait a while before assuming his role as the team’s closer. Bailey has made several appearances with Triple-A Sacramento, and A’s manager Bob Geren has hinted that Bailey could return during the team’s six-game home-stand.

The A’s obviously would boast a better bullpen with Bailey, but the team appears to have no desire to rush their young All-Star. The A’s made an effort this offseason to solidify their pitching, and so far, Billy Beane’s moves have made Bailey’s absence a little easier to deal with.