Cota was signed as an amateur
free agent by the
Atlanta Braves on December 22, . He was released in January without having played any games. In May 1997, he signed with the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After two years in the lower levels of their
minor league system, Cota was traded with
Joe Oliver to the
Pittsburgh Pirates for
José Guillén and
Jeff Sparks on July 23, . He continued to advance through Pittsburgh's minor league system before making his MLB debut on September 9, . He split the to seasons between the Pirates and their
Triple-A clubs. On April 7, 2003, he caught a
perfect game with batterymate
John Wasdin of the
Nashville Sounds. He became a free agent after the season. He signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals before the season, but refused an assignment to minor league camp during
spring training and became a free agent. He then signed a minor league deal with the
Colorado Rockies. On May 28, 2008, Cota was suspended 50 games for failing a drug test. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the
Cincinnati Reds on February 2, . He was released in March 2009. From the 2008 to 2009 winter through that of 2016 to 2017, Cota played in the
Mexican League and the
Mexican Pacific Winter League. He briefly played for the
Arizona Diamondbacks'
Double-A Mobile BayBears in 2013. On May 24, 2016, he was traded to the Mexican League's
Broncos de Reynosa, and then to the
Vaqueros Laguna on June 28. On September 19, he was returned to the Bronco. He was released on March 18, 2017.. ==References==