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The Minnesota Twins signed a very strong international free agency class, including three prospects in the top 23 of Baseball America’s rankings. While it’ll be a long time until we possibly see these teenagers at Target Field, they all project to impact the game on both sides of the ball. View full video

January 15 has come and gone. That date is significant as it represents the beginning of the international signing period. During the 11-month span, players from countries not eligible for the Major League Baseball amateur draft are able to sign professional contracts with any organization. Minnesota had been linked to a trio of top international prospects this fall, and now all have been signed by the organization. The Minnesota Twins are one of eight teams that received a competitive balance pick in Round B of the 2023 draft. That meant their international signing bonus pool is capped at $6,366,900. That doesn’t represent an influx of money, but rather the allotment the Twins have at their disposal to chip away at as they add talent. Several of the Twins' current top prospects were brought in through international free agency. Emmanuel Rodriguez is among the diamonds in the system, and Yasser Mercedes has elevated himself to that level as well. 2022 Major League batting champion Luis Arraez was signed out of Venezuela, and longstanding outfielder Max Kepler was brought over from Germany. In October Jamie Cameron wrote about three prospects within the top 50 international prospects that Minnesota was expected to sign. Each of them officially agreed to deals with the Twins on Sunday and can begin their professional careers. #11 Ariel Castro - OF Cuba Castro landed himself a signing bonus of $2.4 million, the most Minnesota handed out this year. Here is what Jamie had to say about Castro back in October, “Castro is already 6’2, 180 pounds at just 16 years old and has one of the better left-handed swings in the class. As with any international free agent, it's challenging to project a 16-year-old player, but Castro has the all-round profile that reads similar to Emmanuel Rodriguez, now a consensus top 100 global prospect. Castro has average speed and despite good instincts, is likely a corner outfielder at the professional level. The bat is the selling point here. He has the capability of developing plus hit and power tools, a combination that would make him an extremely valuable commodity at the next level.” Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com had this to say about Castro, “Castro continues to develop physically and has emerged as one of the top hitters on the international market. There’s lots of projection with the outfielder, and he could end up with above-average power. On defense, Castro shows good instincts in center field and a solid arm. He could end up being a power-hitting corner outfielder. He projects to be an average runner.” #31 Carlos Silva - C Venezuela Signed out of Venezuela, Silva received the lowest bonus of the three, checking in at $1.1 million. Here was Jamie’s scouting report on Silva, “He is 16, 5’9, listed at 150 pounds, and already has a balanced profile that blends a good approach at the plate with strong defensive skills. Behind the plate, Silva has a strong arm and a quick release and pop time. Offensively, he has good bat speed. Although he currently favors the pull side, he has the potential to develop an all-round offensive approach at the plate. Silva would bolster a position of need organizationally for the Twins.” Knowing that catcher is a position Minnesota could stand to improve upon throughout the system, hitting on Silva would be a plus. Sanchez says, “As for Silva, the right-handed hitter from Venezuela has a compact frame that suits him well behind the plate. He also has the skills to keep him there as he advances through the minor leagues. Silva impressed scouts with his pop times and arm strength, which has a chance to be an above-average tool in the future. He shows good footwork along with solid receiving and blocking skills.” #38 Hendry Chivilli - SS Dominican Republic Many athletic prospects find themselves playing up the middle. Minnesota agreed with Chivilli at $2.1 million while he is currently a shortstop. Jamie had this to say about the Dominican native, “Currently 17, Chivilli is 6’3 and 155 pounds. Chivilli fits the Twins mold in 2023, with no standout tool. (He grades as a future 50 in all areas of his game). What is notable about Chivilli is his athleticism. He will add a ton of weight and muscle in the coming years, giving him a healthy level of projectability to add real offensive upside to his already solid defense at short.” Although Chivilli was the lowest-ranked of these three signings, it is notable that he received a pretty substantial bonus. On Chivilli, Sanchez said, “Chivilli has a chance to be the type of player who will impact the game on both sides of the ball. The teen shows solid tools across the board, and those skills should improve as he matures and his body develops. The Dominican prospect already shows good arm strength, and it projects to be above average as he makes his way through the Minor Leagues.” In addition, the Twins have signed seven other international prospects according to Baseball America through Monday night. Juan Hernandez, SS, Venezuela Jeicol Surumay, RHP, VenezuelaMiguel Cordero, RHP, Venezuela Angel Trinidad, OF, Dominican Republic Ewing Matos, OF, Dominican Republic Moises Lopez, 3B, Dominican Republic Adrian Bohorquez, RHP, Venezuela Which prospects are you most excited about seeing in professional baseball? View full article

The Twins have failed to add much talent to the organization since the end of the season, but that is about to change. Just not necessarily in a high-end signing like Carlos Correa. Instead, the Twins will add over a dozen 16- and 17-year-olds and we'll spend the next handful of years hoping they realize their potential. No one was ever sure we'd get to this point with International Free Agency again, if we're being honest. It was the last sticking point in the CBA negotiations. But instead of letting it cause the lockout to continue, they added a summer deadline to continue to discuss an International Draft. An agreement would have ended tying the signing of some free agents to the loss of draft picks, but there was no agreement. So here we are. We've transitioned from a July 2 start date of International Free Agency to January 15 because of the mess COVID created and it has stayed this way. It's less complicated as deals are completed out of season and players can get into action when the season starts. Any players who are not draft-eligible (players in the US, Canada or Puerto Rico) are subject to International Free Agency. The signing period will run from January 15 to December 15. If you're 16 and turn 17 before September 1, 2023, you are eligible to sign. The Twins have had success in International Free Agency. Never more than in 2009 when they landed Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano. If you can sign one 16-year-old in a year and develop him into a big leaguer, that's a win. But when you do it three times, that's unbelievable. Currently, the Twins group of IFA-acquired prospects is led by Emmanuel Rodriguez, an outfielder who is a Top 100 prospect in baseball. Jamie Cameron previewed the top names in the next projected Twins crop in October. While the whole system is relatively complex, what you need to know is simple: The Twins have almost $6.4 million to spend on teenagers in the next eleven months. They're sure to add some talent to the organization. But what talent are they going to add to the major league roster remains to be seen. View full article

The International Free Agent signing period opens on January 15th, 2023. The Twins have been linked to signing three of the top 50 prospects. Come and read up on an impressive crop of incoming players for Minnesota. The signing period for International Free Agency opens on January 15th, 2023. As a team who received a competitive balance pick in Round B of the MLB Draft, the Twins will have a signing bonus pool of $6,366,900. The Twins have a strong history in International Free Agency, both with higher end names (see Emmanuel Rodriguez), and lesser known prospects (see current batting champ, Luis Arraez). Minnesota has been closely tied to, and is expected to sign, three of the top 50 prospects, per MLB.com 11. Ariel Castro, OF, Cuba The White Sox are usually the AL Central players when is comes to Cuban prospects. Not this time. Castro is ranked as the eleventh overall prospect in International Free Agency, per MLB.com. Expect him to command a hefty bonus to reflect this ranking and projection. Castro is already 6’2, 180 lbs at just 16 years old and has one of the better left-handed swings in the class. As with any international free agent, its challenging to project a 16-year-old player, but Castro has the all-round profile that reads similar to Emmanuel Rodriguez, now a consensus top 100 global prospect. Castro has average speed and despite good instincts, is likely a corner outfielder at the professional level. The bat is the selling point here. He has the capability of developing plus hit and power tools, a combination that would make him an extremely valuable commodity at the next level. 31. Carlos Silva, C, Venezuela The Twins have a long, successful history of scouting in Venezuela and Silva is part of an impressive class of catchers in international free agency this year. He is 16, 5’9, listed at 150 lbs, and already has a balanced profile that blends a good approach at the plate with strong defensive skills. Behind the plate, Silva has a strong arm and a quick release and pop time. Offensively, he has good bat speed. Although he currently favors the pull side, he has the potential to develop an all-round offensive approach at the plate. Silva would bolster a position of need organizationally for the Twins. 38. Hendry Chivilli, SS, Dominican Republic Chivilli is one of 32 Dominican players in the top 50 international free agents and one of 20 infielders. Currently 17, Chivilli is 6’3 and 155 lbs. Chivilli fits the Twins mold in 2023, with no one standout tool. (He grades as a future 50 in all areas of his game). What is notable about Chivilli is his athleticism. He will add a ton of weight and muscle in the coming years, giving him a healthy level of projectability to add real offensive upside to his already solid defense as short. Which of these prospects excites you the most? View full article