Wilhelmsen DFA’d by Mariners

SEATTLE — Veteran right-hander Tom Wilhelmsen was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Friday on a busy day in which left-hander David Rollins was claimed off waivers by the Cubs and outfielder Stefen Romero was released in order to open up needed spots on the 40-man roster.

Wilhelmsen has a 3.01 ERA with 68 saves in 296 appearances with Seattle over the past six seasons, but the Mariners have quite a few right-handed relievers returning and the 32-year-old figured to be in line for about a $3.8 million deal in his final season of arbitration, according to MLBTradeRumors.com’s estimates.

With general manager Jerry Dipoto acquiring three players via trades on Friday and also looking for room to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, Wilhelmsen found himself as the odd-man out, though Dipoto indicated there was a chance he could be re-signed.

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“He had an interesting year and did a real good job for us, particularly in July,” said Dipoto, who reacquired Wilhelmsen on June 22 after trading him to Texas in the offseason. “It was just a matter of …

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