Pirates acquire Vin Mazzaro, Clint Robinson from Royals

The Kansas City Royals have acquired minor league right-hander Luis Santos and left-hander Luis Rico from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first baseman/outfielder Clint Robinson, the team has announced:

#Royals acquire minor league right-handed pitcher Luis Santos & left-hander Luis Rico from Pirates for Vin Mazzaro & Clint Robinson.

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 28, 2012

Mazzaro, 26, has spent four seasons at the major league level, posting an ERA of 5.22 over 66 appearances, including 45 starts.

Robinson made his major league debut with the Royals last season, but he spent much of the year with the team’s Triple-A affiliate. The 27-year-old hit .292/.393/.452 with 37 doubles and 13 home runs over 487 at-bats in the minors.

The 19-year-old Rico spent last year with the Pirates’ Dominican summer league squad, posting an ERA of 7.04 with 6.3 strikeouts and 8.2 walks over 11 appearances, including nine starts, spanning 23 innings.

Santos, 21, also pitched for Pittsburgh’s Dominican summer league team last year, and owns a career ERA of 2.51 with 10.2 strikeouts and 3.3 walks per nine innings over 24 appearances, including 12 starts.