SF Giants lose speedy outfielder in waiver claim to the Chicago Cubs

On Tuesday, the SF Giants and Chicago Cubs completed a transaction. Though, it was not the one Giants fans had hoped. Speedy outfielder Justin Dean was claimed off of waivers by the Cubs, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants lose speedy outfielder in waiver claim to the Chicago Cubs

Dean was designated for assignment to make room for veteran hurler Tyler Mahle. Mahle joined the Giants on a one-year, $10 million deal. He can earn up to $3 million more in performance incentives.

The Dean move clears out the outfield additions the Giants have made this offseason. They vowed to improve outfield defense, which was a glaring issue in 2025. They added Dean, along with Joey Wiemer, both of whom offered quality defense. General manager Zack Minasian even complimented Dean's defensive ability in an interview earlier in the offseason.

If spring training started today, the outfield unit would look eerily similar to the one that finished out the year. Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos are penciled in at center field and left field, respectively.

The rest of the group is up for debate. Drew Gilbert, Jerar Encarnación, Grant McCray, and Luis Matos would compete for playing time in right field or as a fourth outfielder.

The outfield unit put up 4.1 fWAR in 2025, which was 19th in baseball. There is still plenty of room for improvement.

The Giants claimed Justin Dean off of waivers earlier in the offseason. He had been placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before he hit the waiver wire, he helped the Dodgers win the World Series with a key play in Game 6 of the World Series.

Dean only tallied two plate appearances for the Dodgers during the regular season. His playoff record was a bit different. The 29-year-old outfielder appeared in 13 postseason games, but did not register a plate appearance as he served exclusively as a defensive replacement.

Across seven minor league seasons, the right-handed bat has slashed .252/.356/.368 with a 12.1 percent walk rate, 26.8 percent strikeout rate, and .116 ISO. He has also swiped 239 bases in 295 chances as well.

Dean is a glove-first outfielder, but can make things happen when he reaches base. That type of skillset does hold some value for playoff-caliber teams in need of speed and outfield defense late in the games.