The Kansas City Royals signed pitchers Guillermo Mota and two-time All-Star pitcher Brad Penny to minor league contracts for the 2014 season, which includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training, which opens on Friday, February 14 in Surprise, AZ, when pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report.
Mota, 40, last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. He made 26 relief appearances for San Francisco that season, going 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA, recording 24 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. The right-handed reliever began his career in 1999 with the Montreal Expos and has pitched for six other organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-04, 2009), Florida (2004-05), Cleveland (2006) New York Mets (2006-07), Milwaukee (2008) and San Francisco (2010-12). He is 39-45 in 743 appearances (all in relief) with a 3.94 ERA. Since 1999, only five other pitchers have made more relief appearances than Mota.
Penny, 35, is a two-time All-Star (2006-07) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 16 games in each season. He led the National League in winning percentage in 2007 (.800), going 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA (70 ER in 208.0 innings). The right-handed hurler last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2012, with the San Francisco Giants, going 0-1 with a 6.16 ERA in 22 appearances out of the bullpen. Penny has pitched in 13 Major League seasons, spending time with Florida (2000-04), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2004-08), Boston (2009), San Francisco (2009, 2012), St. Louis (2010) and Detroit (2011).
Penny was originally a fifth round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1996 draft. The veteran pitcher has helped three different teams reach the postseason, including in 2003 when he was a member of the World Champion Marlins’ starting rotation. Penny went 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two World Series starts that season against the Yankees.
