The Giants signed RHP Guillermo Mota to a minor league deal and invited him to big league camp.

Mota becomes the third pitcher with big league time to ink a minor league deal with the club in the past 48 hours. But B.K. Kim and Horacio Ramirez will nto be invited to big league camp, a club spokesperson is telling me.

Mota, 36, has a checkered reputation in more ways than one. He tested positive for a performance enhancing substance in November, 2006, and served a 50-game suspension. He’s also got a reputation as a bit of a headhunter. You could ask Mike Piazza about that. He’s charged the mound twice and tried to separate Mota’s head from his shoulders, even venturing into the visiting locker room at Port St. Lucie several springs ago.

Still, Mota had a 3.44 ERA in 61 games for the Dodgers last season. He averaged more than an inning per appearance, too. His strikeout rate isn’t what it once was, but he still held batters to a .224 average and he actually matched up very well against lefties.

If he makes the club and has a similar year for the Giants, he’d be an able replacement for Bob Howry, who signed with the Diamondbacks.