MINNEAPOLIS.– The Twins cleared perhaps the biggest hurdle in completing their deal with Miguel Angel Sano –the top Dominican prospect they signed earlier this month– as the 16-year-old was issued a work visa this week.

Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff confirmed Wednesday that Sano has received his visa and is free to play in the United States.

"We sent it in and expedited it so we could get an answer as soon as possible, and we got good news back," Radcliff said. "He's got his work visa for 2010."

The Twins signed Sano to a $3.15 million signing bonus, the largest spent by the club on the international market, but the deal was contingent on Sano getting his work visa. Earlier this year, Major League Baseball conducted an age investigation on Sano, and it could only confirm his identity, not his exact age.

That led to some teams withdrawing from their pursuit of Sano, since his 6-foot-3 and 190-pound frame and skills on the field fueled questions as to whether he was truly 16.

Sano came to Minnesota on a travel visa a little over a week ago during the Twins' American League Division Series with the Yankees and underwent a series of physicals. But while everything looked on track, there was still the question whether Sano would get the necessary work visa from the U.S. Consulate in the Dominican Republic looming until this week.