Newest SF Giants acquisition may spell the end for young outfielder

The SF Giants made a minor move this week by claiming outfielder Justin Dean off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that could have major implications for outfielder Luis Matos who will be on the bubble next year.

The Dean acquisition is not a huge one, but the fact that the Giants added him means that there is likely going to be some heated competition for a spot on the roster next season.

SF Giants will have stiff competition for final outfield spot in 2026

As things stand right now, Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee should be the starting left fielder and center fielder respectively going into next season. That could change if they make some trades, but those two are very likely to be on the team.

That means the Giants will have to figure out who will play right field for them next season and who will be their fourth outfielder.

The splashiest move they could make in right field would be to sign Kyle Tucker, but he is going to come at a steep price and the Giants would have a lot of competition if they made a run for the left-handed slugger.

There are more prudent moves they could make like bringing back Mike Yastrzemski or signing someone like Randal Grichuk on a one-year deal to play right field.

Then, the Giants could turn the keys over to the young guys. They could opt for a platoon of Luis Matos and Drew Gilbert out there but that would be a bit of a risk since neither was really consistent enough to fully trust out there last season even though they both showed flashes of promise.

The most likely scenario is probably that the team will sign a Grichuk type which will force those younger guys into a competition for the fourth outfield spot.

Drew Gilbert may have a slight leg up given his relationship with manager Tony Vitello dating back to the University of Tennessee, but the Dean acquisition could make things interesting with his defensive abilities and speed.

Matos struggled as the fourth outfielder in 2025 as his lack of playing time prevented him from getting a rhythm at the plate and he is not strong enough defensively or on the bases to bring into the game as a replacement the way the Giants could with Dean.

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area noted on social media that the Giants have too many outfielders without options on the 40-man roster so than could thin the herd a bit. Matos has one minor league option left according to spotrac.com, but he could end up being the odd man out since Dean and Gilbert make more sense as a fourth outfielder given what they bring to the table on defense.

Maybe the Giants would be best served trying to trade Matos so they can get something for him rather than eventually having to put him on waivers when he is out of options.