Twins Land Top Dominican Prospect

After being heavily pursued by the Pittsburgh Pirates -- and seemingly no one else -- since early July, Miguel Angel Sano will reportedly sign a $3.15 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. Sano, the 16-year-old Dominican phenom, is a shortstop but is expected to be converted to the outfield eventually.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington and Latin American scouting director Rene Gayo had been hot on Sano since the international signing period began on July 2. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, though, Sano's agent, Rob Plummer, said the relationship between the two sides became strained in the process.

"You know, I feel like I was in touch with the Pittsburgh fans on this, from reading the blogs and message boards, and I feel bad for them," Plummer said. "Sano could have been a Pirate. And when the fans see the figure Miguel signs for, they'll know that."

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"I think contracts are made entirely of relationships, that people should have a comfort level," Plummer said. "Things fell apart because Pittsburgh never believed I had other teams interested in Miguel. I gave Neal every opportunity to sign Miguel for a reasonable amount, but he was afraid he was bidding against himself. When he sees the signing, he'll see that."

Also, there was reportedly a gentleman's-type agreement in place that Sano and Plummer would contact Huntington if they got an offer from another team, so the Pirates would have a chance to counter-offer. That contact was reportedly never made.

Sano appears to be a five-tool superstar in the making, and he personally expressed to the Post-Gazette that he plans on making the majors in two years. Gayo has described Sano as the best prospect he's ever seen in his life as a scout.

The Twins are expected to announce the signing officially soon.