The Chicago Cubs have added outfielder Justin Dean to the 40-man roster, claiming him off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he just picked up a ring.
Although it has hardly been a concern that rose to the level of anything on the Major League roster, it’s been hard not to notice the extreme need in the outfield at Triple-A Iowa. Thanks to graduations and trades, the Cubs entered the offseason with just one minor league outfielder on the Iowa roster. That outfielder, Parker Chavers, is 27, and has played just 30 games at the Triple-A level, where he struggled at the plate.
That said, the Cubs do have Kevin Alcantara on the 40-man roster and potentially optioned to Iowa to open the season, and Jonathon Long is likely to use his outfield glove to play some more left field this season. James Triantos, also on the 40-man roster, can and will also play some outfield. Brett Bateman has now spent 120+ games at Double-A, and is probably ready for Triple-A, as well.
It’s not as if the Cubs couldn’t have covered the Iowa outfield in early 2026 without any outside moves, but it’s hardly the look we’re used to, and not necessarily inspiring a lot of confidence if there were a spate of injuries at the big league level that required extra coverage. Chavers may not be able to hit at Triple-A, much less in the big leagues. Alcantara might be on the big league bench anyway, Long is likely limited to left field (if that works out at all), Triantos is coming off a deeply disappointing season at the plate, and Bateman is just getting his first taste of Triple-A.
So, again, there’s been an extreme need (even before the Owen Caissie trade) that I’ve been expecting to be addressed at some point. A big league signing for the bench – pushing Alcantara back into an up-down spot – could be part of the equation, but I’d more been expecting a minor league deal for a high-quality AAAA-type player, and/or a waiver claim.
Well, the Cubs have now done the latter with Justin Dean, a 29-year-old speed and defense specialist. Dean hit .289/.378/.431/110 wRC+ in 90 games at Triple-A last year, after being a Double-A/Triple-A border guy in the Braves organization the three seasons prior. The righty bat is probably not going to offer much in the big leagues, but the speed and defense were good enough that the Dodgers brought him up late last year so they could carry him on the bench through the playoffs as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.
That’s a good type to have in your organization, and Dean does have minor league options remaining. The question is whether the Cubs will ultimately want to use a 40-man roster spot – it’ll be at 39 after the Alex Bregman signing goes official – or whether they’ll try to sneak Dean through waivers at some point this offseason or in Spring Training.
At least we know that Dean will be ready to play at Wrigley Field in terms of ground rules:
Justin Dean, the World Series Game 6 hero for correctly not picking up a ‘stuck’ ball preventing the tying runs to score, has been DFA’s by the San Francisco Giants. pic.twitter.com/pLOyeFLkpA
— Frenchy (@FrenchyBam) January 7, 2026Hence then, the article about chicago cubs claim outfielder justin dean off of waivers was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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