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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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The Chicago Cubs claimed former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean after the San Francisco Giants designated him for assignment only a week ago.
The Cubs' 40-man roster has open spots, allowing Dean to join the team outright rather than requiring another move to make room.
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Dean was put on waivers by the Dodgers after making a key play in the World Series. He is known for making the decision not play a ball that got stuck between the outfield ground and the wall, while there was a baserunner on first base making his way home.
By rule, the play was deemed to be a ground-rule double, forcing the Toronto Blue Jays’ base runners to only take two bases when both could have scored.
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Kiké Hernandez ended up catching a fly ball in shallow left field and got a force out at second base. Dean came in during defensive situations, often replacing Teoscar Hernandez in center field and allowing Andy Pages to play a corner outfield spot.
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He was used as a pinch runner in certain situations, serving as a key bench player for the Dodgers during the postseason.
Dean only made two plate appearances for the Dodgers last season, playing in 18 regular-season games and 13 playoff games. He did not get a plate appearance in the playoffs.
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The Cubs are losing Kyle Tucker from their roster to free agency, leaving Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Seiya Suzuki as their main options. Kevin Alcántara, James Triantos and Pedro Ramírez will take up other spots on the roster as depth pieces.
As a specialist player, Dean offers a good deal to the Cubs, especially over a long season, though he has an option left, meaning they could work on his batting in the minor leagues before he plays in the majors.
He had a promising .289/.378/.431 slash line and 110 wRC+ in Triple-A last year, pointing to some potential upside for Dean.
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