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Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees waits in the dugout.
The New York Yankees international free agent signing crisis appears to have no end in sight, as the organization reportedly lost a sixth teenage prospect on Friday in the last two months. According to information from Spanish-language journalist Wilber Sánchez, who covers the international scene closely, 15-year-old pitcher Jorge Luis Jiménez of the Dominican Republic has exited his agreement with the Yankees to sign a new deal with the Minnesota Twins organization.
The Yankees had an agreement to sign Jiménez for a bonus “in the $1 million range,” according to a separate report by Mets Prospect Group, an online “IFA expert” account.
Sánchez reported the Yankees agreed-upon bonus as $950,000. But the teen right-hander’s new agreement with the Twins calls for a $1.5 million bonus, according to Sánchez.
Yankees Lose ‘High Upside’ Starter
According to Sánchez, in losing Jiménez, the Yankees miss out on “one of the highest-upside pitchers in the 2028 international class.” The Dominican right-hander features a four-pitch mix and a fastball that already exceeds 94 mph, tools that project him as a high-ceiling starter over the long term.
So what happened?
“Jiménez had previously reached a $950,000 pre-agreement with the New York Yankees,” according to the journalist’s report. “But Minnesota ultimately made the stronger push for his talent and long-term potential on the mound.”
The Yankees have not been happy with their international signing program, whose issues are perhaps most visibly exemplified by Jasson Domínguez, the 23-year-old outfielder who was signed for a club record $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, and rose as high as the No. 5 ranked prospect in baseball in 2024 Baseball America.
But after parts of three seasons in the major leagues, Domínguez has failed to make a significant impact and now faces the possibility of being sent back to Triple-A to start the 2026 season.
Jiménez Only Latest to Spurn Yankees
The reported loss of Jiménez, who is targeted for the international free agent signing class of 2028, follows just two days after a report that 17-year-old Venezuelan catcher José Colina backed out of a $600,000 pre-agreement with the Yankees, even though he did not have another team to go to. Colina is now in the Dominican Republic hoping to showcase his abilities for big league scouts at the Ramos Academy, according to an earlier report by Sánchez.
On Jan. 25, the Yankees lost three prospects in a single day, when Venezuelan shortstop Josneybert Vera, as well as top hitting prospect Mairon De La Rosa and Leonardo Feliz, who had a $1.3 million Yankees agreement, all backed out.
In December, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the 2026 class, Dominican shortstop Wandy Asigen, suddenly reneged on his Yankees agreement and signed with the New York Mets for a $3.9 million bonus.
Yankees Also Get Some IFA Good News
In November, the Yankees took action to correct their shortcomings on the IFA front, parting ways with longtime international scouting director Donny Rowland.
In January, the Yankees promoted director of baseball development Mario Garza into the position. The promotion did not appear to halt the exodus of prospects, but on Saturday, reports said that Garza landed his first new IFA prospect, reaching a pre-agreement with Class of 2027 outfielder Jeremy Rodriguez.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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