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PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks took on the big boys of Major League Baseball in the competition to land Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka only to see him sign, hardly to anyones surprise, with the New York Yankees. Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers, speaking to a handful of reporters in a conference call on Wednesday, thanked the teams ownership for allowing him, for what he said was the first time, to "sit at the table in a high stakes poker game for one of the elite free agents." Towers said the Diamondbacks made "a very competitive offer." But not competitive enough. The 25-year-old right-handers deal with the Yankees pays him $155 million over seven years, in addition to the $20 million due as a posting fee to his Japanese club. Now Towers moves on in search, via free agency or a trade, of help for the Diamondbacks rotation, seeking either a No. 1 starter or a strong No. 2. And, he said, those are hard to find. The Diamondbacks contingent of managing partner Ken Kendrick, Towers, manager Kirk Gibson and star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt met with Tanaka and his entourage about three weeks ago. "All you can do is put your best foot forward, which is what we did," Towers said. The Diamondbacks emphasized their family atmosphere, the weather, the fact that the team trains in Arizona. Tanaka would have been the unquestioned No. 1 pitcher on the staff. That and what undoubtedly was a substantial money offer, certainly by Diamondbacks standards, wasnt enough. There is no large Japanese community in Phoenix. Towers said international players often are lured by the "Yankee pinstripes." He noted the Yankees have two veteran Japanese pitchers who can ease Tanaka into his new life. The Diamondbacks will continue to see what the possibilities are for landing a pitcher. "It doesnt stop just because we didnt get Tanaka," Towers said. But the Diamondbacks dont want to sign any pitcher to a contract longer than three years, Tanaka being an obvious exception. Unsigned free agent starters include Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez. Towers insisted that if Arizona does not acquire another starter, hes comfortable with the returning staff, specifically mentioning the possibility of talented young flame-thrower Archie Bradley competing for a spot in the rotation this spring. Because of their early-season trip to Australia to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks will be the first team to gather for spring training. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 6 with the full squad due on Feb. 11. Miguel Layun Jersey . Lowry and the Raptors officially announced a four-year US$48 million dollar deal Thursday. The deal was reported last week but couldnt be made official until Thursday, when the moratorium on signings was lifted. "They were real factors. I did my homework. Jonathan dos Santos Jersey . 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Manuels presence on the field, and the expectation that hell be ready to step in immediately and start against the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) on Sunday, has provided the Bills a much-needed lift. "Yeah, were excited to get EJ back," centre Eric Wood said. "Hopefully, it gives us a boost, offensively." And dont underestimate the importance of Manuel re-establishing stability at a position that was mostly unsettled in the four weeks since the first-round draft pick out of Florida State sprained his right knee. "Hes the guy that we wanted to be back there, and weve got him back there now," running back Fred Jackson said. "To get some stability there, a guy thats going to be there for the remainder of the season hopefully is something that can help this offence move in the right direction." The Bills (3-6) were going nowhere in losing three of four without Manuel, who was hurt in a 37-24 loss at Cleveland on Oct. 3. The injury prompted a scramble by the team to find a capable replacement at a position where Buffalo lacked experienced depth. Journeyman Thad Lewis was promoted from the practice squad to take over as interim starter after undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel struggled filling in for Manuel against the Browns. Lewis went 1-2 before he was sidelined by bruised ribs, which led to Tuel making his first career start in a 23-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. Tuels inexperience was once again evident against the Chiefs. He threw two interceptions, the second one returned 100 yards for a touchdown in a game where Buffalo squandered a 10-3 halftime lead and outgained Kansas City 470-210. Manuel was cleared to play earlier this week after spending most of last week working out individually. On Wednesday, Manuel showed no signs of a limp while dropping back to pass, and he completed several throws into gusty winds during a 20-minute portion of practice open to the media.dddddddddddd "Yeah, very confident. Pushing off it fine. Running around and making plays," Manuel said. "Its still up to coach as far as what we want to do as a team, but I definitely feel confident going into Sunday." Coach Doug Marrone liked what he saw, and acknowledged that Manuel is expected to start barring any setbacks. "From a standpoint of being healthy, hes fine," Marrone said. "Now its just to the point of really trying to get him back." Plan B would be starting Lewis, who also returned to practice Wednesday. Manuel might not have all that much more experience than Lewis or Tuel. But he has had the most time in learning Marrones offence, and showed a capability of running it in going 2-2 before he was hurt. In four-plus games, Manuel went 85 of 150 for 985 yards passing with five touchdowns with three interceptions and a lost fumble. Lewis and Tuel combined to produce similar numbers in going 88 of 162 for 961 yards and four touchdowns. They struggled in protecting the ball by committing eight giveaways: five interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns; and three lost fumbles. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Manuel has a strong arm and provides an element of mobility to the Bills up-tempo attack. The only issue with him is avoiding hits, as happened against Cleveland when he elected to keep running rather than get out of bounds before being struck in the right knee by safety Tashaun Gipson. Manuel also missed the final two preseason games with a left knee injury. Manuel is defensive when it comes to answering questions about his running style. He went so far as to describe his latest injury as "a freak accident." "If I lifted my knee up a half-inch more it wouldnt have been a problem," he said. Manuel added it hasnt been yet determined whether hell play with a protective brace. ' ' '