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OAKLAND, Calif. Bart Scott Jersey. - Kevin Towers sees an opportunity for the Arizona Diamondbacks to defend their division title, and he isnt about to sit still. The NL West champion D-backs added a front-line starter Friday and boosted their bullpen, acquiring pitchers Trevor Cahill, Craig Breslow and cash from the Oakland Athletics. And Towers isnt done -- he still hopes to add another starter, though its unclear if that will be Joe Saunders with the sides still far apart in negotiations. The As received starting pitcher Jarrod Parker, outfielder Collin Cowgill and reliever Ryan Cook in the trade Friday, all players the As envision could be on the major league roster in 2012. Towers has been committed to winning with pitching since he took the job as Arizonas general manager, and it paid off in his first season. Cahill will complement a talented rotation featuring 21-game winner Ian Kennedy and 16-game winner Daniel Hudson. Arizona won 94 games -- 29 more than in 2010 -- under manager Kirk Gibson on the way to a surprising division title over the 2010 World Series champion San Francisco Giants. "We see a window after winning the NL West. Were in a go-for-it mode to stay on top of the division," Towers said. "We feel weve got a young starter to go along with Daniel Hudson, Josh Collmenter and Ian Kennedy. Hopefully, we can keep this rotation together for a long time. Weve got four starters we feel are as good as anybody in the NL West. With Trevor in the fold we feel our rotation is that much better." The Diamondbacks lost in the first round of the playoffs to Milwaukee in five games and are determined to get back in 2012. As GM Billy Beane, meanwhile, is in rebuilding mode with the hopes that the club will be able to build a new ballpark in San Jose and move out of the rundown Oakland Coliseum in a few years. "These are two different organizations going in two different directions," Breslow said. "Im excited to be on this end of this one, with a team competing for a World Series championship." Cahill, who in April was rewarded with a five-year contract worth US$30.5 million, went 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA in a team-high 34 starts. His deal from the As took him through all three of his arbitration-eligible seasons and first potential year of free agency. It was a tough choice to part ways with the 23-year-old Cahill, a second-round draft pick in 2006 who started 2011 with six straight wins. He made his first All-Star team in 2010. "Its not easy to trade a guy like Trevor, or Craig, who have been a big part of our major league roster the past two seasons," Oakland assistant general manager David Forst said. "Every so often we have to reshuffle the deck. It was a chance to get back a good package. We like what we got back. In addition to Jarrod, whos a top-of-the-rotation guy, we got back two other major league-quality players who could impact our roster in 2012." Cahill made $500,000 in 2011. He is set to earn $3.5 million in 2012, $5.5 million in 2013, $7.7 million in 2014 and $12 million in 2015. Theres a $13 million club option for 2016 with a $300,000 buyout. If that option is exercised, Arizona can exercise a $13.5 million option for 2017 with a $500,000 buyout. The 2017 option price would escalate to $14 million if Cahill finishes among the top two in Cy Young Award voting in any year from 2011-16. The 2016 and 17 options and buyouts also can be voided if he is first or second in Cy Young Award voting from 2011-16 and has been traded. "The Diamondbacks want to win and I really want to compete and win a championship," Cahill said. Both Cahill and Breslow expressed their surprise at being traded. All week during the winter meetings in Dallas, it was Gio Gonzalezs name that kept coming up as the main pitcher in trade talks. The As sent reliever Brad Ziegler to the D-backs in a July trade, so they will have a reliable sounding board in the clubhouse with their new team. "Id heard a lot of other guys names bouncing around. The last couple days I never thought Id be the first one to go," Cahill said. "I really liked Oakland, I was comfortable. ... I definitely thought Id be with them a little bit longer. Their history, they usually keep guys (while) they dont make too much money and then trade them off for prospects. Thats kind of the cycle." Arizona selected Parker with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, and it was hard for Towers to give him up. The right-hander finished with an 11-8 record and 3.79 ERA in 26 starts for Double-A Mobile last season, striking out 112 batters and walking 55 in 130 2-3 innings. Parker made his major league debut on Sept. 27, pitching 5 2-3 scoreless innings and allowing four hits against the Los Angeles Dodgers for a no-decision in his only start. The Diamondbacks chose Cowgill in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. He has a .239 average with one a home run and nine RBIs in 36 games in the majors last season. Cook compiled a 2.21 ERA with 19 saves in 48 relief appearances at Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno last season. He also appeared in 12 games in the majors, going 0-1 with a 7.04 ERA in 7 2-3 innings. Forst said both players the As traded understood the business side of the swap. "Trevor never gets too high or too low with anything," Forst said. Tom Brady Jersey. - The Chicago Bears released veteran safety Chris Harris on Thursday after he asked for a trade, ending his second run with the team. Stephen Hill Jersey. -- Francisco Liriano gave up four hits over five shutout innings in the Minnesota Twins 6-4 loss to a New York Yankees split squad on Friday. Tim Tebow Jersey. The Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and Loch Ness will vie with more than 200 other spectacular places in the next phase of the global competition for the New 7 Wonders of Nature, organizers said yesterday. Wholesale MLB Jerseys. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Jovanovski will forfeit $67,357.52. The money goes to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund. At 9:34 of the third period, Jovanovski delivered a forearm to the head area of Minnesotas Andrew Ebbett. Patrick Peterson Womens Jersey. The 48th-ranked Briton completes the field for the May 17-20 event at the Finca Cortesin golf course. Casey says the tournaments format suits him, especially since he is out to impress Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal.VANCOUVER -- Jason Marshall could have kept trying to achieve the almost impossible dream of becoming a Canadian quarterback in the CFL, but he opted for a professional rugby career instead. Now, hes earning a living playing a sport he loves and finding success on the international stage with Canadas national team. The 27-year-old North Vancouver native, who called signals for five seasons with the Simon Fraser University Clan based in Burnbaby, B.C., is gearing up to start a two-year contract with Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne in Frances second division. "I really hope I can stay (in France) for the rest of my rugby career," said Marshall, during a news conference to promote a June 23 international June test match between Canada and Georgia in Burnaby. If all goes according to plan, Marshall, recuperating from surgery to repair a torn bicep, will suit up at prop for Canada against Georgia on the same Swangard Stadium field where he played quarterback for SFU. After completing his university football career in 2008, Marshall had a brief, unsuccessful tryout with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. As often happens with former Canadian university quarterbacks, the Eskimos sought to move Marshall to another position -- fullback. The experiment ended almost as soon as it began "four days after rookie camp." "To me, my football career was over," he said. "I had tried out with Eskimos. It didnt work out. So it was either try something else or go over to the working world. I had a degree in accounting. I was going to try for a (chartered accountant designation) or whatever. But the rugby thing came up. I just stuck with it and it worked out." The same year that he was cut by the Eskimos, Marshall launched his career with the national rugby squad. He had played rugby throughout high school and with club teams and SFU during his first two years of university eligibility while also serving as a backup quarterback on the gridiron. But before his third year, his football coaches offered a larger scholarship on the condition that he stop playing rugby in order to avoid injury. So he focused on football for three years. Since returning to rugby full-time, he has suited for Canada in 12 international matches, including all four at last falls World Cup in New Zealand. In the process, the six-foot-three Marshall bulked up to 255 pounds and moved from the front line to prop, a football-lineman-like position that requires passing, punting and tackling skills. He signed his contract with the French squad just before Canada opened the competition with a 25-20 upset of Tonga en route to going 1-2-1 and finishing fourth in its pool. "My ultimate goal was just to make the World Cup," he recalled. After that, Marshall thought he would pursue an accounting-related career. But now he plans to play as long as possible in Francee, where he currently makes close to six figures -- much more than he would in the CFL -- and suit up for Canada in two more World Cups. Patrick Peterson Jersey In other words, his former football dream has become a strong rugby itch. "Theres not that big a rugby following in Canada," he said. "But once you get to go and experience games overseas, just games in France -- or we went and watched a game in Australia -- you see its like how hockey-crazy it is in Canada. So I want to stick with it and see what I can do with it." According to Rugby Canada officials, Marshall is one of about 10 Canadian team members playing professionally overseas. Others include Adam Kleeberger, a 27-year-old Elk Point, Alta., native, who plays for London Scottish in England. Gareth Rees, Rugby Canadas national mens program manager, said Marshall benefits twofold from his contract with the French team, which includes one year (2012) plus an option (2013). "One, hes playing against the best in the world," said Rees. "But two, hes supported in a way where its now his livelihood. So hes supported fully. He does everything that he should do -- whether its through the training regimes or the competition-skills models -- so that hes fully prepared to play for Canada. It makes him a better player for Canada. In turn, Marshall serves as inspiration for younger players to pursue a national rugby dream. "It sends a clear message to kids -- not only Canadian rugby players, but Canadian football players -- to choose the sport if you want to have a professional career, largely with the way the salaries are in the CFL," said Rees. "You can add to that, for families and people that dont know rugby, that you can now go to the Olympics. So thats why I say its pretty exciting times for rugby." Rees said Marshall is a team leader and will likely continue to be one over the next decade. However, Marshall said, he no longer has the special status anointed to quarterbacks. Unlike in football, all rugby positions are equal and everyone has a chance to be a star, in contrast to the anonymity that often comes with playing on the offensive line. As a result, rugby is a closer-knit team sport. "You still get the recognition if you want it," he said. "Its just all about how hard you want to work." Accordingly, Marshall has no regrets about quitting football, even though the Eskimos showed a renewed interest. "I havent told anybody this, but after the World Cup, they actually contacted me again," he said. "They wanted me to come out to their training camp this summer." But he has other plans. Note: In addition to the contest against Georgia, Canada will host test matches against the U.S. on June 9 in Kingston, Ont., and Italy on June 15 in Toronto. The matches will be Canadas first since the World Cup. ' ' '