On January 14, , Devine was traded to the Oakland Athletics along with minor league pitcher Jamie Richmond for center fielder Mark Kotsay. Devine had a breakout season with the Athletics in ; in 45 innings, Devine gave up just 23 hits, walked only 15, struck out 49, held major-league batters to a .148 BA, and finished with a remarkable 0.59 ERA; the lowest ever in MLB history among pitchers with a minimum of 45 innings since ERA became an official statistic in . This record is not officially recognized because the MLB minimum is 50 innings.