The Miami Marlins are sending catcher Liam Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays in a deal that brings back three prospects, according to reports.
Miami will receive infielder Brayden Taylor, infielder Adrian Santana and right-hander Jacob Kisting, with sources telling ESPN’s Jeff Passan, The Athletic’s Will Sammon and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman about the trade. All three players were ranked among Tampa Bay’s top 30 prospects by MLB.com before the move.
For Hicks, the deal shifts a breakout season to a new home. The 27-year-old Canadian is hitting .282/.363/.432 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs in 2026, his second big-league season.
He had been splitting time between catcher, first base and DH in Miami, but he was squeezed by the rise of top prospect Joe Mack. In Tampa Bay, he’s expected to take over the everyday catching job.
Hicks has been a little rougher defensively than the bat suggests, sitting in the 32nd percentile in framing and the 23rd in pop time. He remains under team control through 2030.
The trade also gives the Rays another major deadline piece after their earlier addition of right-hander Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets. Tampa Bay activated Peralta on Monday and designated veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment.
Taylor, 24, has put together a strong year at Double-A, batting .284/.384/.513 with 17 homers, 56 RBIs and 20 steals over 88 games. He has mainly played third base, while also getting time at second and shortstop.
Santana, 21, was Tampa Bay’s first-round pick, 31st overall, in 2023. The Florida native, a shortstop who has also appeared at second, has hit .311/.373/.395 with three homers, 24 RBIs and 23 steals over 54 games between the Rays’ rookie-level affiliate and High-A Bowling Green this season.
Kisting, 23, came to the Rays from Minnesota in a minor trade this winter. In High-A this year, he has posted a 1.67 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 10.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 over 18 appearances, 16 of them starts.
In Other News...
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The appeal is obvious for a Rays team that values contact, versatility and run creation in the margins. Philadelphia, Boston and Texas are also said to be in the mix, so Tampa Bay is not alone here, but any move that adds that kind of bat would reshape the conversation around the lineup in a hurry. For now, it is a matter of whether the Rays can turn a strong position into an actual deal. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Catching Picture Just Got A Lot More Interesting
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Hicks is expected to give the Rays more flexibility behind the plate and in the defensive alignment, while also adding some offense to a lineup that can always use another productive bat. For a club that has spent the week making clear it wants more depth and more options, this is the kind of move that could matter in more ways than one, especially once the full catching picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Missed On A Deadline Target That Could Sting
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For the Rays, the larger takeaway may be less about what the Phillies gained than where this particular player ended up. Arraez had been a name on Tampa Bays radar, and for a while the club looked like it had a real shot to bring him in before the deal swung in another direction. In a deadline market built on thin margins and fast decisions, missing on a target like that can linger, especially when the player fits so neatly into the kind of lineup the Rays like to build. [Read more 🡒]