The Giants and reliever George Kontos have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.15 million contract, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.
Kontos was arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. The 30-year-old right-hander requested $1.35 million and was offered $850,000 by the Giants when figures were exchanged last month, so the two sides settled just a shade over the midpoint.
Kontos thrived out of the Giants’ bullpen last season, posting a 2.33 ERA in 73 appearances. While he made some big strides with his control, oddly he struck out only 44 batters in 73 1/3 innings. He averaged 8.1 K/9 over his previous stints in the majors from 2011-2014.
