Liam Hicks Has Been Everything the Rays Needed and More
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The Tampa Bay Rays were on the lookout for an offensive upgrade ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year.
Their Big 3 of Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda needed some help. The Rays’ front office ended up killing two birds with one stone, finding their much-needed upgrade at a position of need.
Tampa Bay acquired catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects: infielder Brayden Taylor, infielder Adrian Santana and right-handed pitcher Jacob Kisting.
At the time of the deal, it was viewed as a fleecing by the Rays. With how impactful Hicks has been, that point has been driven home even more, with his production being at an incredibly high level.
Liam Hicks has been excellent addition for Rays
In the midst of a breakout campaign in terms of power production, Hicks had a .432 slugging percentage with the Marlins. As shared by Brian Murphy of MLB.com, he has been one of the best sources of slugging in baseball since the trade deadline.
“...is slugging .522 in 80 plate appearances with Tampa Bay. His .328 average, .425 on-base percentage and 163 wRC+ each rank inside the top 15 among the 195 hitters who have at least 80 PAs since Hicks first played for the Rays on Aug. 4,” Murphy wrote.
An 0-for-4 outing in the series finale against the New York Mets has dropped those numbers a little. He has a .310/.405/.493 slash line in 84 plate appearances, producing an OPS+ of 149. Hicks has been tearing the cover off the ball with three home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI.
If Tampa Bay’s brain trust could have gone into a lab and created their ideal player, it would look a lot like Hicks does currently at the plate. He is providing another source of power, lengthening the lineup to be more dangerous heading into the second half of it.
The bats ➡️ hot
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 29, 2026
The crowd ➡️ hype
The Rays ➡️ up pic.twitter.com/wdwmAJJiGr
His contributions are a major reason why the Rays have been able to hold off the New York Yankees in the American League East race. Entering play on Sept. 3, Tampa Bay holds a 3.5-game lead over their division rivals.
To maintain that lead, the Rays certainly need Hicks to continue performing at a high level. While he may be the most impactful at this point, Tampa Bay has to be happy with how all of their deadline acquisitions are performing.
Freddy Peralta has found his groove in his last two outings after a difficult start to his Rays tenure. Tyler Wells has been excellent out of the bullpen, helping bridge the gap to All-Star closer Bryan Baker.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.