The Giants claimed outfielder Justin Dean and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin off waivers from the Dodgers and Reds, respectively, on Thursday. Right-hander Mason Black was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Dean, 28, appeared in only 18 regular-season games for the World Series champion Dodgers this year, but he earned a spot on their postseason roster thanks to his plus defense and speed. He was involved in a pivotal play during Game 6 of the Fall Classic against the Blue Jays, as he threw his hands up and requested a dead-ball ruling when Addison Barger’s ninth-inning double ended up wedged at the bottom of the center-field wall at Rogers Centre.
Dean’s heads-up play ultimately prevented Toronto from scoring, allowing the Dodgers to force a Game 7 and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Yankees reeled off three in a row from 1998-2000.
Dean didn’t record a plate appearance during the Dodgers’ playoff run, but he made 13 appearances as a defensive replacement and batted .289 with an .809 OPS, six home runs and 27 stolen bases in 90 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
The Giants currently have Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee penciled into two of their starting spots in the outfield, but the right-handed-hitting Dean should have a chance to compete for regular at-bats next year alongside other upstarts like Drew Gilbert, Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion.
Sanmartin logged a 5.66 ERA across 62 appearances (six starts) over parts of four seasons with Cincinnati. The 29-year-old Colombian didn’t pitch in the Majors last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July 2023, but he managed to come back and get another look with the Reds on Sept. 2, when he gave up one unearned run over 1 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays.
That relief outing was the only big league appearance of the year for Sanmartin, but he put up solid numbers at Triple-A Louisville, where he recorded a 2.67 ERA with 55 strikeouts over 67 1/3 innings in 46 appearances (two starts) in 2025.
The Giants are expected to stockpile pitching depth this offseason, so Sanmartin should give the club another bullpen arm to evaluate during Spring Training. He’ll join Erik Miller, Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage as left-handed relief options on the 40-man roster.
Black, 25, was a third-round Draft pick in 2021, but he struggled to a 6.47 ERA over 10 appearances (eight starts) for the Giants over the last two years. He posted a 5.81 ERA over 30 outings at Triple-A Sacramento in 2025 and made his final five appearances out of the bullpen.