Twins flip Dodgers prospect to begin international signing period

The Twins never landed a meeting with Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old righthander with ace potential, but they took advantage of his frenzied recruitment.

When the 2025 international signing period opened Wednesday, allowing teams to sign international amateur free agents from Latin America countries and elsewhere, the Twins benefitted from the Sasaki sweepstakes by signing Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano, who previously was linked with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Honestly, this is kind of the craziest signing period I’ve seen,” said Roman Barinas, the Twins’ director of Latin America scouting.

With the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly the finalists for Sasaki before he signs in the next week, it’s freed some international players from their verbal commitments. The Dodgers lost at least three players as they await Sasaki’s decision.

There is no draft for international players.

Serrano, a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, received more money from the Twins than he would have with the Dodgers, according to FanGraphs. A 6-1 center fielder who hits lefthanded, Serrano is ranked No. 50 on MLB.com’s top international prospects list.

“He can really run,” Barinas said. “He can really hit — advanced approach at the plate. There is actually some power, too. Really exciting at a premium position.”

Serrano is one of the Twins additions headlining their 2025 international signing class, with five players expected to command signing bonuses around $1 million or higher. The Twins entered this year’s signing period with $7.56 million they can spend in bonuses, one of eight teams with the highest international bonus pool.

Santiago Leon, ranked No. 24 by MLB.com, is the top-rated player in the class. A 16-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, Leon has the athleticism to stick at shortstop while showcasing a strong hit-over-power offensive approach. Leon’s dad, Jose Leon, is a longtime Twins scout who now serves as the club’s senior international scouting advisor.

“I know some people on our staff have known the kid probably since he was 4. That aspect of it definitely helps,” Barinas said. “Whenever you scout makeup and background and all that, that’s always a little bit of a mystery in international [scouting] that we have to figure out. In this instance, obviously, we had that box checked. I can see even through his development, that’s something we can definitely rely on.

“It becomes a super exciting day to see a scout that is so beloved within our organization, his family and his son now signing. It definitely adds a little bit of extra excitement to the day.”

The Twins’ other top signings include Dominican outfielder Carlos Taveras, a 16-year-old lefthanded hitter ranked No. 26 overall by MLB.com, who showcases solid speed and “hits the ball potentially as hard as anybody in the class,” Barinas said. Venezuelan switch-hitting infielder Haritzon Castillo, ranked No. 43, draws a lot of excitement internally because he’s already hitting with good power.

Castillo “has a really high floor who I can see moving very quickly through the system,” Barinas said.

Venezuelan shortstop Jose Barrios, listed a 5-11, is another high-profile addition. He’s still unpolished, but he stands out with his athleticism.

“He definitely profiles as a super interesting switch-hitter shortstop,” Barinas said of Barrios. “Castillo and Leon have kind of developed more physically. He’s the one that you can still kind of dream on.”

Baseball America added the Twins signed one of the top pitching prospects from Latin America, 16-year-old Venezuelan righthander Santiago Castellanos. The 6-foot pitcher has already reached 97 mph with his fastball and displayed good feel for a curveball.

SS Daiber De Los Santos: Playing 47 games in the Dominican Summer League, De Los Santos produced a .301 batting average and a .384 on-base percentage while totaling five homers, 38 RBI and 37 runs. One concern is he struck out in 63 of his 203 plate appearances (31%).

OF Eduardo Beltre: He was one of the breakout players in the Twins’ farm system last year. He hit .326 with 11 homers and 36 RBI, and he posted a .453 on-base percentage with nearly as many walks (28) as strikeouts (43). His power stands out, especially for his age.

C Victor Leal Jr.: Splitting time between catcher and first base, Leal batted .230 with three homers and 15 RBI, but he recorded a .364 on-base percentage with more walks (21) than strikeouts (15).