Pitching flurry: Jamey Wright signed, Seddon called up, Sean White optioned, Cordero becomes free agent

The Mariners’ post-All-Star-break changes aren’t just coming, they’ve begun. This morning, the Mariners shook up the bullpen with these moves:

They’ve signed 35-year-old veteran right-hander Jamey Wright and added him to the major league roster, called up left-handed pitcher Chris Seddon from Class AAA Tacoma, optioned right-handed pitcher Sean White to Tacoma and lost right-hander Chad Cordero, who chose to become a free agent when he declined the option to Tacoma.

Wright is an interesting addition. The 15-year veteran of seven organizations had a brief go-round with the Mariners during spring training in 2003 before they let him go. He went 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA in 18 relief outings with the Indians early this season before they designated him for assignment June 4. The A’s signed him June 16 and he pitched 10 games in relief for Class AAA Sacramento, going 1-0 with one save and a 9.00 ERA. He opted out of that contract and now is a Mariner.

Seddon went 10-4, 3.39 in 18 games with Tacoma, 15 of them starts, and he made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team. He didn’t appear in Wednesday night’s Triple-A All-Star Game at Allentown, Pa., and now we know why.

The Mariners signed Cordero in March, 2009, as he was in the final months of his comeback from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He pitched nine games in relief this year, going 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA. Because he has more than five years of major league service time, Cordero had the option of declining the option to the minor leagues.

Cordero also is the answer to a Mariners trivia question: Who was the player who replaced Ken Griffey Jr.’s roster spot when Griffey retired on June 2. It was Cordero, who was called up from Tacoma on June 3 after he’d gone 0-1 with six saves and a 4.12 ERA in 17 games.

It’s been a rough season for White, a sinker specialist who was effective last year when the Mariners needed a ground ball but struggled this season with a 6.86 ERA in 25 appearances.