You may have noticed

Adam Jones, who has been the subject of many posts about a possible trade, played for Lara for the first time in quite a few days yesterday.

Jones was also the topic of the following story in the Seattle Times today.

Trade winds hit Jones

Adam Jones is still a bat-carrying member of Cardenales de Lara, the team from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, that is battling for its country's winter-league championship.

More importantly to Seattle fans, Jones is still — for now — a member of the Mariners, despite a two-day layoff over the weekend at the behest of M's management that awakened speculation of an impending trade.

Lara management was requested by the Mariners to hold Jones out of games Saturday and Sunday. But on Monday, Lara received the all-clear from the Mariners for Jones to return to action. He was in the lineup Monday against Tiburones of Laguaira.

Here is Jones' reaction to the whole kerfuffle:

In an interview with XM Radio on Sunday, Jones said he was mystified by being pulled from the lineup.

"I try to keep contact with our organization," Jones told XM, "but, the last time I talked with our GM, he just said, 'You're not going to play for a couple days. We are in the process of doing all this, we don't know what's going on yet. So, hang tight for a couple days, and we will get back to you.'

"So, hopefully, I can play Monday, 'cause we are in the playoffs and we are in first place, and I wanna be there for the guys. But if I'm not there physically, I am definitely there emotionally on the bench."

In the same interview, Jones addressed the ongoing trade rumors.

"It's pretty cool to be involved in a trade for such a high-profile player [Bedard]. I'd rather be playing. I like Seattle [but] whatever move is made, I can't do anything about it. I'm here to play baseball. If I'm playing baseball for anybody, as long as I'm in the big leagues playing baseball, having fun, that's all I can really ask for."