One new development with the Mariners that kind of got lost in the crazed aftermath of that 12-player J.J. Putz trade is that Seattle will no longer use an advance scout for games. This role is instead being transfered to the team's new department of statistical analysis. The idea is that the team will receive video of their opponents and have workers in the new department break down each pitch from a statistical viewpoint. They can grade the break on curve balls, tendencies to throw certain pitches in certain situations, figure out what hitters like to swing at, that sort of thing.