Sunday Roundup

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com has a nice story up on the Hot Stove Blog about the J.J. Hardy trade. The Pirates, Reds, and Red Sox all inquired about Hardy, but Melvin rejected the Pirates and Reds' because he preferred to move him out of the division. The Pirates probably were the closest to making a move, but rejected the idea of sending either Zach Duke or Paul Maholm for the shortstop.
Peter Gammons of ESPN.com is reporting that the Red Sox want shortstop Jed Lowrie to start in Triple-A next season after missing most of 2009 recovering from wrist surgery. It'll be interesting to see how Lowrie responds to the move, but long-term it seems like the best move for the young shortstop.
Rock Kubatko of MASN.com wonders if the Orioles will pursue any of the free agents they looked at last season that are now free agents again. Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Matt Treanor were all discussed in Baltimore, but they never pulled the trigger.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe thinks the Mariners are going to be players in the Jason Bay and John Lackey races. If negotiations don't go there way, they could look to move Felix Hernandez; but I don't see them seriously making a move to push him before that.