SAN FRANCISCO — Justin Dean started his week riding in a parade in Los Angeles. He’ll end it on the 40-man roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ longtime rival.
The outfielder was one of two players claimed by the Giants on Thursday, along with Cincinnati Reds lefty Reiver Sanmartin. To clear a necessary roster spot, the organization DFA’d right-hander Mason Black, who appeared in the big leagues each of the past two seasons.
Dean, 28, is the most well-known of the three after being right in the middle of a controversial moment in the World Series. When a line drive got wedged into the bottom of the outfield wall at Rogers Centre in the ninth inning of Game 6, Dean alertly raised both hands and got a ground-rule double call as the play was ruled dead.
Dean, a strong defender who can play all three spots, didn’t get a plate appearance during the postseason but entered 13 games as a defensive replacement. He made 18 appearances for the Dodgers during the regular season, almost all of which were for defense. He was 0-for-2 with a stolen base, but he did post a .378 on-base percentage in Triple-A.
The Giants have a large collection of young outfielders on their 40-man roster but figure to part with multiple players during the offseason. Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Wade Meckler are all out of minor league options, and Jerar Encarnacion, Grant McCray and Drew Gilbert are also on the 40-man. Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos are locked in as starters, but the front office will likely be looking for an everyday option in right field this winter.
Sanmartin, 29, is the type of player who likely will be targeted often this offseason by Buster Posey, Zack Minasian and the rest of the front office. The Giants need to rebuild just about an entire bullpen, and they don’t have a lot of depth from the left side. Erik Miller came off the 60-day IL at the end of the postseason and is healthy after missing the entire second half with elbow discomfort. Joey Lucchesi is arb-eligible, but the organization is generally short on left-handed depth.
Sanmartin has a 5.66 ERA in 62 big league appearances, but only one of those has come in the past two years. He had elbow surgery in 2023, but posted a 3.34 ERA in Triple-A last season.
The Giants need starting pitching help this offseason, but Black had fallen far down the depth chart and finished his season as a reliever. A third-round pick in 2021, Black had a 6.47 ERA in 10 big league appearances for the Giants and a 5.81 ERA in Triple-A this season.
The 40-man roster is again full after Thursday’s moves. Justin Verlander, Wilmer Flores, Dominic Smith and Tom Murphy are free agents, but the Giants also had to bring Miller and Randy Rodriguez off the 60-day IL.
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