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    2026 Minnesota Twins International Signings

    The Twins brought in a wave of a new international talent when the signing period opened on Thursday. Here's an overview of the young additions.
    Sherry Cerny

    By Sherry Cerny

    Image courtesy of Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) on X/Twitter

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    Thursday marked the opening of the 2026 International Signing Period, and it looks like the Twins have a potential for celebration if all things go their way. This is the day that young athletes from Central and South America have the opportunity to sign with a major-league team, continue to work out and grow with the team. 

    Baseball America says that the Twins 2025 class was one of the best classes in the Dominican Republic and produced a solid prospect turnout. This year is about the same and shows that the Twins are certainly using all their technology and scouting potential.

    The Twins pool is $7,357,100 this year, tied for the third-highest allotment, and it sounds like they have plenty of places to spend it. 

    The Twins officially announced their 2026 international signing class, featuring 20 players. Here's the full rundown, with an in-depth look at some of the highlights.

    • Enmanuel Merlo (SS, Venezuela) - 29th-highest signing bonus in this class. Twins Daily writer Jamie Cameron covered Merlo in an article going over some of the 2026 class. Merlo is set to make an impact at 6’1”, another switch hitter with top notch offensive skills. He is a little more advanced than his peers with exit velo, ability to be patient at the plate, and take a walk if he can. Fast on the plates and the infield - short stop may end up being home for him with his agility and speed. (Signing Bonus: $1.5 million)   
    • Abel Sosa (OF, Venezuela) - Sosa is one of the more intriguing bats in the 2026 international class. The Venezuelan outfielder won’t turn 17 until June, yet already stands 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with broad shoulders and plenty of physical upside. Baseball America has noted his impressive raw power for his age, and there’s reason to believe that power could become plus as he continues to mature. Sosa plays with an aggressive approach and will expand the zone at times, but he’s made real progress over the past year improving his contact against live pitching, allowing his power to show up more consistently in games. He’s a plus runner with a strong arm, giving him a legitimate chance to begin his career in center field, though long-term he could profile well in right if he outgrows the position. (Signing Bonus: $800,000)

     

    • Juan Diego Holmann (SS/OF, Nicaragua) - One of the top prospects from Nicaragua in 2026. In an interview with 8 Deportivo during a workout, Holman told the reporter that he is excited to have the opportunity to sign with the Twins. Touted as an average runner by Baseball America, the shortstop will more than likely find his home between second and third base, and the outfield. His bat will take some honing, but he has a great read on the ball and a gap hitter, which is something the organization definitely needs.  Holmann's father played very briefly in the Dodgers organization. His uncle Mario Holmann spent five seasons in the Yankees organization, topping out at Triple-A. He has participated in events in Europe and speaks fluent German. (Signing Bonus: $500,000) 
          
    • Jendy Martinez (SS, Dominican Republic) - The switch-hitter is one of the shortest prospects on the list, Reports say that he hits the ball with authority, especially given his size. Martinez has plus speed, and could be an asset as a utility player, but there is going to be some work to be done to capitalize on his physical strength to match his bat. (Signing Bonus: $500,000)
       
    • Misael Rodriguez (OF, Dominican Republic) - An athletic center fielder, Rodriguez, according to Baseball America, has plus speed and has a good chance to stick in center field. He’s not very big, at just 5-10. He will work on making more consistent contact and driving the ball to all fields. (Signing Bonus: $500,000)
       
    • Frederick Hiciano (RHP, Dominican Republic) - Eligible to sign in 2025, he decided to wait a year. He’s 6-2 and 175 pounds and will likely fill out his frame, according to Baseball America. His fastball has reached 95 mph and sits in the low-90s. Like many young prospects, his off-speed pitches are a work in progress but have potential to complement the fastball. His fastball is in the 99th percentile in his class. (Signing Bonus: Unknown) 
          
    • Sebastian Echavarria (RHP, Dominican Republic) - Echavarria throws his fastball in the low 90s, but has the potential to add speed, like many young prospects. He also has a breaking ball and changeup. From the Dominican Republic, Echavarria is 6 foot 3 inches, and will likely continue to fill out.  (Signing Bonus: Unknown) 

    Additionally, the Twins announced these players among their 2026 international signing class:

    • Daiyer Barboza (IF, Venezuela, $130,000) - 
    • Juan Germosen (RHP, Dominican Republic) - 
    • Yael Retituyo (RHP, Dominican Republic) - 
    • Adrián Martinez (RHP, Colombia, $100,000) - 
    • Jeremy Jimenez (RHP, Dominican Republic) - 
    • Jhon Gonzalez (OF, Dominican Republic, $375,000) -  
    • Anibal Beltré (OF, Dominican Republic, $500,000) - 
    • Juan Collado (RHP, Dominican Republic) - 
    • Luis Duarte (C, Venezuela) - Known more for his defense in his youth, he does have potential offensively due to his strength. 
    • Fabián Ulloa (SS, Venezuela) - 
    • Luis Suárez (OF, Venezuela, $140,000) - 
    • Ashwar Sprok (OF, Aruba) - 
    • Jeferson Abreu (C, Dominican Republic $45,000 - 
    • Rosmel Silva (LHP, Venezuela, $20,000) - 

    We will keep an eye on these prospects as they begin their professional career. These players, and likely more players added between now and the end of the year, will play in the Dominican Summer League. 

    Follow Sherry Cerny on Twitter: MNSotaSportsGal

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    Featured Comments

    Dman

    Dman 13,644

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

    I don't think they've given out a contract like that since Wander Javier? And that was back when Terry Ryan was in charge. And I'm pretty sure the Twins have yet to see one of their international signings under Derek Falvey reach the majors. 

    So I might argue that it's time for a different approach. Even if it's just once.

    It feels like that Javiaer signing cured them from going all in on just one guy so to speak.  There have been some notable top tier signings that have worked out quite well for other teams, but it seems like we see just as many or more of the medium to low end guys work out as well. 

    It doesn't seem to cost much to go after arms and I don't know the success rate for arms, but it seems like for 100K or less you could grab a bunch of those guys and see how they work out.  Colorado went after some of the higher end arms in this class as did a few others.  I wouldn't mind the Twins allocating more money there, but then maybe they just haven't identified them soon enough to get them to sign with them.

    Last year 4 of their signings were in the top 50 for MLB.com.  All in the 1.5 to 1M type of players.  That seems to be the range where the Brewers like to target their guys and they have had decent success.

    One thing I can't argue with you about is their relative lack of success on the international signings for quite some time.  Maybe Bohorquez can break that streak and become something or Oliveros?  I like DeAndrade but there's quite a ways to go there.  Maybe Beltre and his big forearms can find more in zone contact? Olivar is a good hitter, but is he good enough and he has no good defensive home. 

    So to your point whatever they are doing hasn't been working well. Hopefully the 2025 and 2026 classes can right the ship as it sure hurts to waste that pool of talent every year.  They have thrown enough darts that they should hit some something soon, right?

    nova_twins

    nova_twins 139

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    4 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

    I don't buy the quantity over quality argument. We can even set aside the notion that across all sports, winning teams tend to "go for it" while prudent half-measures and hedging your bets tend to be the hallmark of mediocre franchises.

    The real problem with this argument is that even if the Twins signed one or two of the top international prospects, they STILL could have signed 20 players in all. Instead of signing five guys in the 500K to 1.3M range, you sign one or two of the top players and then sign a bunch of 20K to 100K players. If it's truly all about quantity, that approach should still fit the bill.

    But I'd guess the real reason the Twins aren't getting the top guys is because other organizations were faster to recognize them as top players a couple years ago. If the Twins  identified, vetted, nurtured and built a relationship with a 15-year-old who two years later ended up being the top rated prospect, they wouldn't walk away from him, they'd crow about it and make sure Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes wrote articles about him.

    This seems really speculative if not outright fictional. You don't seem to be recognizing how this stuff works on the ground -- there's no mystery among any teams about who the most exciting 13 or 14 years old are. 

    The alignment between players and teams is very complicated and highly dependent on interpersonal relationships in the Dominican. Player evaluation is secondary. Every club has a huge miss rate on 16 year olds. 

    There are other similar comments in this thread, basically issuing strong opinions on a subject without even the most cursory understanding of it. 

    nicksaviking

    nicksaviking 38,019

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, nova_twins said:

    This seems really speculative if not outright fictional. You don't seem to be recognizing how this stuff works on the ground -- there's no mystery among any teams about who the most exciting 13 or 14 years old are. 

    The alignment between players and teams is very complicated and highly dependent on interpersonal relationships in the Dominican. Player evaluation is secondary. Every club has a huge miss rate on 16 year olds. 

    There are other similar comments in this thread, basically issuing strong opinions on a subject without even the most cursory understanding of it. 

    It's speculative to suggest the Twins haven't been good at identifying international players under the current front office? Because as it stands, since 2016 the count of useful MLB players found this way for the Twins is zero. That's not a huge miss rate, that's an infinite miss rate.

    It used to be a strength of this franchise, and it's still a major pipeline for MLB talent. Phrase it how you like, but the Twins need to improve their interpersonal relationships with young players. But I will say this, if as you suggest every team knows who the most exciting 13 or 14 year olds are, than the Twins need to be better at predicting which of them are going to be the better 16 year olds on signing day, and ultimately, the better 25-year-olds who will win games at the MLB level.

    Tall task, I know. But other clubs are still doing it so it can be accomplished.

    DarrenPS

    DarrenPS 105

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    FYI to anyone interested, Spotrac currently has us at $6,290,000 spent of $7,357,100, so $1,067,100 remaining. Could make sense if Angel Ozuna gets 500k of that still. What's weird is these numbers don't mirror the MLB.com article, so I wonder if some are estimate? Regardless, it's the best we have

    https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/international/_/year/2026/team/min

    nova_twins

    nova_twins 139

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

    It's speculative to suggest the Twins haven't been good at identifying international players under the current front office? Because as it stands, since 2016 the count of useful MLB players found this way for the Twins is zero. That's not a huge miss rate, that's an infinite miss rate.

    It used to be a strength of this franchise, and it's still a major pipeline for MLB talent. Phrase it how you like, but the Twins need to improve their interpersonal relationships with young players. But I will say this, if as you suggest every team knows who the most exciting 13 or 14 year olds are, than the Twins need to be better at predicting which of them are going to be the better 16 year olds on signing day, and ultimately, the better 25-year-olds who will win games at the MLB level.

    Tall task, I know. But other clubs are still doing it so it can be accomplished.

    The Twins themselves recognized this and made significant changes to their international operations over the past several years. So your observations in that regard add nothing. 

    Meanwhile, none of that explains how you could possibly evaluate this current class, you literally have no clue what you're talking about but somehow felt confident in trashing it?

    nicksaviking

    nicksaviking 38,019

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    9 hours ago, nova_twins said:

    The Twins themselves recognized this and made significant changes to their international operations over the past several years. So your observations in that regard add nothing. 

    Meanwhile, none of that explains how you could possibly evaluate this current class, you literally have no clue what you're talking about but somehow felt confident in trashing it?

    Not once did I trash these players, and in multiple other threads I've acknowledged that they hired a Kevin Goldstein a few years back and hopefully that will start showing results. Still, either by choice or by folly, they still are not in position to sign the top international free agents and it's been that way for a decade now. 

    I suggested that they try a different approach since this one hasn't been paying off, that shouldn't be that objectionable.

    For some reason this topic seems pointedly personal to you. If you want to share the source of your expertise feel free.

     

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    Quality over Quantity is an interesting debate... I certainly don't have the answer to it. I'd guess it's a combination.  

    With the assumption that 16 year olds are indeed hard to project... it would certainly require a lot of research to stand on firmer ground on the quality/quantity thing.  

    However... I suspect that we are asking the wrong question or looking in the wrong place.

    Signing the young IFA is simply entry into a system. I suspect that the system is what needs to be discussed and analyzed because age 16 to 22 has to be critical development years. 

    Some organizations seem to produce more IFA fruit. Some produce less. Why is that? 

    It's quite possible that the answer lies in the development system. Not the entry point as a hard to project 16 year old?  

     

    USAFChief

    USAFChief 78,972

  • Twins Daily Contributor

    • Posted

    18 hours ago, nova_twins said:

    The Twins themselves recognized this and made significant changes to their international operations over the past several years. So your observations in that regard add nothing. 

    Meanwhile, none of that explains how you could possibly evaluate this current class, you literally have no clue what you're talking about but somehow felt confident in trashing it?

    And yet...here we are on the verge of 2026, and still, no international FA signings of any help. None.



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