Pirates acquire George Kontos

Pirates continue their flurry of activity on the revocable waiver wire, acquiring George Kontos off the Giants. Pirates claimed him and Giants awarded him to the Pirates for nothing except to pay his salary, which isn't a lot. 

Kontos, 32, has had a solid career. Not great but gets the job done. This year, in particular, however, he's added something he didn't have before, and that is strikeouts. Normally a 6-7 K/9 guy, Kontos has raised that number to 9.6 this year, and the walks have stayed about the same as his career would indicate. He is controlled for 2 more years after this via arbitration. 

This could be a sneaky good pickup for the Pirates, who have a knack for finding quality bullpen arms in the unlikeliest of places. Kontos has put up steady and reliable numbers throughout his career. The uptick in strikeouts could be a big thing to tap into. We'll see what Searage can do with him.