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Kontos recently accepted a position with NBC Sports Bay Area for the Giants' pregame and postgame shows, effectively spelling an end to his playing career, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. After the Nationals released him from his minor-league deal last August, Kontos apparently didn't draw many offers from other organizations or wasn't intrigued by the opportunities that may have been available, prompting him to embark on a media career. The 35-year-old right-hander worked exclusively out of the bullpen over his 350 big-league appearances spanning eight seasons, posting a 3.10 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across stints with the Yankees, Giants, Pirates and Indians. His best years came in San Francisco, with Kontos earning his lone World Series ring as a member of the Giants' 2012 squad.
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The Nationals released Kontos from his minor-league contract Wednesday. Kontos signed with the Nationals in late May with the hope of eventually earning a promotion to the big club, but that never came close to materializing after he posted a 6.07 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 31 appearances with Fresno. The veteran reliever is now free to sign with any organization, but with the minor-league regular season drawing to a close within the next few days, he's unlikely to pitch again in 2019.
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Kontos signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals on Friday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports. Kontos joined the Cubs on a minor-league deal during the offseason but didn't play a game with the organization after spring training. The 33-year-old had 28 appearances between the Indians, Yankees and Pirates last season and had a 4.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB over 26.2 innings. Kontos will report to Triple-A Fresno.
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The Cubs reassigned Kontos to their minor-league camp Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. Though he was attending spring training as a non-roster invitee, Kontos looked like he would have a realistic shot at winning a bullpen role with the big club at the outset of camp after reportedly increasing his fastball velocity while working out at the Driveline Baseball facility in Chicago during the offseason. Any improvement in the quality of Kontos' arsenal wasn't apparent in his spring stats, as he surrendered five runs on seven hits and one walk over 5.1 innings during Cactus League play.
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Kontos agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports. Kontos spent time with the Pirates, Indians and Yankees last season without much success, finishing with a 4.39 ERA in 26.2 innings while striking out just 12.9 percent of opposing hitters. He reportedly increased his velocity by as much as three mph at Driveline over the offseason, though it would take a major leap for him to be anything other than a low-leverage reliever.
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