The international signing period opens Thursday, but the Yankees’ biggest move could be finding someone to ultimately run that department.
After firing former international scouting director Donny Rowland earlier this season, the Yankees are interviewing candidates for the position, including former Astros international scouting director Oz Ocampo, multiple sources confirmed to The Post on Tuesday.
Ocampo led the Astros’ international scouting department from 2012 to 2017 – a period during which they signed future Major League pitchers like Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and Bryan Abreu. He later spent time in the Pirates front office as a special assistant and most recently served as Marlins assistant GM for then-GM Kim Ng, the former Yankees manager under Brian Cashman.
As they work to find Rowland’s successor, the Yankees are expected to have a fairly quiet international signing period. They have a bonus pool of $5.44 million, which is tied for the lowest in the Majors, but are not in line to sign any of Baseball America’s Top 100 International Players.
They were originally expected to land top shortstop Wandy Asigen, but last month the 16-year-old opted out of his deal with the Yankees following Rowland’s departure and agreed to sign with the Mets for $3.8 million.
Many of the Yankees’ major international signings in recent years have fallen short of expectations, leading the club not to renew Rowland’s contract when it expired after this season – his 15th year on the job.
Overall, the Yankees have had more success lately with some smaller bonus signings on the international market, which may be the only thing they end up with this signing period barring any late moves.
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