Report: Twins nab ex-Braves prospect Severino

Minnesota expected to sign 18-year-old infielder for $2.5 million

December 8th, 2017

The Twins have agreed to terms with Yunior Severino, an 18-year-old infielder granted free agency last month after Major League Baseball penalized the Braves for infractions committed on the international market.
Minnesota's deal with Severino is worth $2.5 million, pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The Twins, however, have not confirmed or announced the signing.

A switch-hitting second baseman, Severino worked out for nearly 200 scouts at the San Francisco Giants academy in the Dominican Republic on Friday morning. Originally signed during the 2016-17 international signing period, Severino was part of a vaunted group of prospects signed by Atlanta, 13 of which the club was forced to forfeit last month as part of penalties enforced by MLB.
Marte still in play for Twins after voided deal
After a two-month investigation, MLB concluded the club circumvented international signing rules during each of the past three signing periods.
Severino is the seventh former Braves prospect to sign with a new team over the past three weeks. He hit .270/.345/.420 with 25 extra-base hits across two rookie levels in 2017, his first season in professional baseball.
Severino, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Braves for $1.9 million in 2016, and doesn't have to forfeit his original bonus. He played in both the Gulf Coast League and the Dominican Summer League last year, and is likely to play at Rookie-level Elizabethton in 2018.
He's the third prospect to join the Twins this week, as they traded $1 million in international bonus pool money to the Mariners for catching prospect David Banuelos and $1 million to the Angels for outfield prospect Jacob Pearson on Wednesday.
The Angels can use that extra $1 million for Shohei Ohtani, who announced on Friday he's signing with the Angels.
The Twins likely aren't done acquiring prospects, as they have $1.25 million remaining in international bonus pool money. They're still interested in re-signing shortstop Jelfrey Marte, who had his $3 million contract with Minnesota voided on Nov. 15 because of vision issues.