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The signing period for International Free Agency opened on January 15th, 2025. The Twins are one of eight teams that will have the joint largest bonus pool of $7,555,500. Now that we’re a couple of days in, it’s time for a more full-throated roundup of the Twins class. This update is especially relevant since Minnesota’s class has been added to since our preview article a week or so ago.
Listed below, you’ll find the players in the class (to date), followed by their position and country of origin (if known). If they have a bonus reported, that’s listed in parentheses too. I’d take these with a grain of salt. You can find an approximate ‘total pool spent’ figure at the bottom of the player pool.
Daniel De La Valle, C, Colombia
Aaron Salazar, C, Venezuela
Pablo Castillo, C
Santiago Castellanos, RHP, Venezuela
Juan Quiñones, LHP, Venezuela
Eliezer Lucena, RHP, Venezuela
Rainer Marin, RHP, Venezuela
Eli Urena, RHP, Dominican Republic
Angel Castillo, P
Juan Figaro, P
Brandy Ceballos, P
Jensi Infante, P
Carlos Taveras, OF, Dominican Republic ($1,200,000), signing reported by Francys Romero on 02.11.25
Teilon Serrano, OF, Dominican Republic ($1,000,000)
Joyner Perez, OF, Dominican Republic
Jhomnardo Reyes, OF, Dominican Republic
Cristian Bonifacio, OF, Dominican Republic
Yovani Duran, OF
Christian Bonifacio, OF
Santiago Leon, SS, Venezuela ($1,000,000)
Haritzon Castillo, SS, Venezuela ($950,000)
Jose Barrios, SS, Venezuela ($850,000)
Dencer Diaz, IF, Dominican Republic ($400,000)
Darwin Almanzar, SS, Dominican Republic ($200,000)
Jamesson Val, 3B, Haiti
Confirmed Bonus Total Spent: ~$5,600,000
As alluded earlier, there has been significant movement in the Twins class since last week. They’ve flipped two prospects from other organizations, one due to the fallout from the Roki Sasaki waiting game. The Twins added OF Teilon Serrano out of the DR, stacking a few hundred thousand atop his previous bonus from the LA Dodgers, who remain in Roki limbo. The Twins also flipped IF Dencer Diaz from Atlanta for a $400,000 bonus. You can find more in depth scouting reports for the Twins major signings at the bottom of this article.
Other Notes From the Class
Santiago Castellanos is the prospect easiest to get excited about in this class. The Venezuelan right-handed pitcher has popped in recent months, and has been up to 97 mph with his fastball, with a feel for spin. Jose Barrios (not to be confused with Berríos) is another top one hundred bonus prospect, a solid all around skillset at shortstop with line drive power. If he makes the majors, Jamesson Val would make history. He’d be the first baseball player from Haiti ever to make the majors, so he’ll be a prospect who's easy to root for. Joyner Perez is a stocky right-handed outfielder who shows an ability to hit the ball hard with consistency, despite a lack of premium athleticism. Jhomnardo Reyes is the opposite, already 6’1 with a ton of power from the left side of the plate. Look out for Venezuelan catcher Aaron Salazar and Dominican shortstop Darwin Almanzar as two dark horse prospects to click this summer.
Teilon Serrano, OF, Dominican Republic
Serrano was previously set to sign with the Dodgers, who seem to be attempting to convince their prospects to wait to sign, or to sign next year. Serrano opted not to wait. A left-handed hitter who currently stands at 6’1, Serrano has good athleticism and a well-rounded offensive profile. The hit tool overshadows power currently, with excellent bat-to-ball skills headlining the skill set. Serrano was previously a shortstop who recently switched to the outfield. That will undoubtedly be a learning curve, but plus speed gives him a chance to stick in centerfield.
Dencer Diaz, IF, Dominican Republic
I haven’t been able to find good reports on Diaz yet, but he’s another flip for the Twins. Originally, he had a deal with the Braves, but he reentered the market after they signed Raudy Reyez (a 16-year-old pitcher who has allegedly been up to 100 mph). Diaz will sign with the Twins for $400,000.
Santiago Leon, SS, Venezuela
The Twins boast a strong Venezuelan class in 2025, headlined by Santiago Leon, a 16-year old shortstop and son of longtime Twins scout Jose Leon. Santiago is a right-handed hitting prospect already standing 6’1 with an offensive skill set headlined by a patient approach at the plate. Scouts are complimentary of both Leon’s bat-to-ball skills, in addition to his selectivity at the plate. While Leon doesn’t have explosive athleticism, he has good hands and moves well defensively, which, combined with an above average arm, gives him a chance to stick at shortstop.
Leon is expected to sign the 20th-largest bonus for an international prospect in the 2025 signing period, per Baseball America. He signed for ~$1 million.
Carlos Taveras, OF, Dominican Republic
Carlos Taveras, a 16-year old outfielder out of the DR, is already an imposing physical presence and an impressive athlete. Standing at 6’1, he’s a left-handed hitter with good bat speed and the potential to boast serious raw power as he develops. There’s some swing and miss to his offensive game, but there’s plenty of other tools to like, too. Taveras is an above average runner with an above average arm, a combination that should allow him to play centerfield, at least early in his professional career. He’s one of the youngest players in the international class this year.
Taveras is expected to sign the 39th-largest bonus for an international prospect in the 2025 signing period, per Baseball America. His expected signing bonus is ~$1.2 million. After a delay of almost a month, Francys Romero is reporting that Taveras signed for the Twins on 02.11.25, shortly after turning 16.
Haritzon Castillo, SS, Venezuela
Haritzon Castillo is a switch hitting 16-year-old shortstop prospect out of Venezuela. Castillo doesn’t have a standout tool, and offensively, it’s a profile more similar to Leon’s, than Taveras’. Castillo is currently a hit-over-power offensive profile, with a good approach and direct swings from both sides of the plate. Defensively, Castillo might profile as a prospect who moves around the infield, with the versatility to become a positionally flexible infielder.
Castillo is expected to sign the 47th largest bonus for an international prospect in the 2025 signing period, per Baseball America. He signed for ~$950,000
How do we tie all of this in a bow? This is a fun class. It’s balanced, both geographically, positionally, and in terms of skill-sets acquired. The Twins were aggressive in the market, flipping two prospects who had deals in place with other, high performing organizations. The reality is, many of these deals were made by the Fred Guerrero led Twins international scouting department, rather than current leadership. Still, as always, this class will be a fun follow in summer ball.
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
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- Cory Engelhardt, Dman, nclahammer and 8 others
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