Twins sign shortstop prospect Ángel Ozuna, who served a one-year suspension after planning on signing with the Yankees, out of the Dominican Republic
Dominican shortstop prospect Ángel Ozuna has a pre-agreement with the Minnesota Twins and is expected to sign for a bonus exceeding $500K, according to MLB insider Héctor Gómez. He is expected to be part of the Twins' 2026 international free agent class, which will be finalized on Jan. 15.
The New York Yankees previously had a pre-agreement with Ozuna to sign for $5 million in either the 2027 or 2028 international free agent class. However, the deal didn't come to fruition after the shortstop was found to be part of a scandal involving numerous international players who claimed to be several years younger than they were. He had to serve a one-year suspension, and the Yankees were no longer interested.
New Twins prospect Ángel Ozuna joins organization loaded with shortstop talent
Ozuna joins a Twins team with an abundance of young, talented shortstops, with shortstops Kaelen Culpepper, Marek Houston, Kyle DeBarge, Quentin Young and Brandon Winokur all among the team's top-20 prospects per MLB Pipeline. Not to mention, shortstop Brooks Lee was once a top-100 prospect.
However, Ozuna likely won't be in the big leagues for quite a while, so the Twins' shortstop depth situation will likely work itself out. Sure, Ozuna lied about his age, but he is still young. His exact age is unknown, but he is most likely still a teenager or close in age to one. Top international free agents tend to be 16 or 17 years old.
Signing Ozuna was an excellent move for the Twins, considering the Yankees were willing to offer him $5 million before the scandal.
Twins expected to officially sign Ángel Ozuna on Jan. 15
Fans will have to wait until January for the official announcement of Ozuna signing with the Twins, along with any other international signings Minnesota makes. Last year, the Twins signed 23 international players. Three of them (shortstop Santiago Leon (No. 24), shortstop Haritzon Castillo (No. 43) and outfielder Teilon Serrano (No. 50)) ranked among the top-50 international prospects at the time.