Royals announce signings of pitchers Guillermo Mota, Brad Penny

The Royals have signed veteran reliever Guillermo Mota to a minor-league contract, the club announced on Thursday.

Mota, 40, last pitched in the majors in 2012, when he made 26 relief appearances for the Giants. Mota, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander, began in his career with the Montreal Expos in 1999 and has also played for the Dodgers, Marlins, Indians, Mets and Brewers.

He owns a career 39-45 record with a 3.94 ERA in 743 relief appearances.

In 2012, Mota became one of three major-league players to have failed a drug test for a second time. He was suspended for 100 games after testing positive for a performance enhancing drug. Mota was suspended for 50 games at the beginning of the 2007 season for his first offense.

The Royals also made official the signing of right-handed starting pitcher Brad Penny, 35, to a minor-league deal.

This story was originally published January 16, 2014 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Royals announce signings of pitchers Guillermo Mota, Brad Penny."