Rays Fleece Marlins in Liam Hicks Trade

The Tampa Bay Rays were able to fleece the Miami Marlins in the Liam Hicks trade.

Jul 30, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Miami Marlins designated hitter Liam Hicks (34) hits a single in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the best teams in baseball this season, and with the trade deadline here, they were one of the franchises expected to make some improvements. On Monday, they were able to accomplish that. 

Despite having one of the best records in baseball, the Rays were a team that had some areas to address and to seek improvements for ahead of the trade deadline. 

While Tampa Bay has had no shortage of wins this year, as the team prepares for baseball in October, they knew that they had to get a bit better. On Monday, they were able to make a significant addition after missing out on some big names like Tarik Skubal and Luis Arraez. 

In a trade with the Miami Marlins, the Rays were able to acquire catcher Liam Hicks to address a major need behind the plate for the team. With three prospects going back to the Marlins, it appears like Tampa Bay got the best of them in this trade. 

Rays Fleece the Marlins

Today the #Rays reportedly acquired C Liam Hicks ($17.5M surplus trade value) from the #Marlins in exchange for 3B Brayden Taylor ($6.2M), SS Adrian Santana ($2.6M) and RHP Jacob Kisting ($0.7M).

The deal is rejected by our model as an underpay by Tampa Bay.

— Baseball Trade Values (@BaseballValues) August 3, 2026

While there was a lot of talk surrounding what the Rays might do at the trade deadline, the catcher position was an area that they figured to want to address. Coming into the year, the combination of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia didn’t figure to be a strength for the team, and both have struggled as expected. 

Now, with Tampa Bay adding Hicks, they get their catcher for the next several years. While he doesn’t have a massive sample size in the majors, he has been a really good player for the team since getting the opportunity. 

This season, he has slashed .282/.363/.432 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI. Hicks is a really well-rounded hitter at the plate with some nice power and a high batting average. 

The 27-year-old is going to be a great addition to Tampa Bay's lineup, and this is exactly the type of move that they should have made, with him also being under team control for the next few years. 

What was really impressive for the Rays is that they were able to get such a talented player for not too much. The package of Brayden Taylor, Jacob Kisting, and Adrian Santana isn’t an overly impressive one considering the caliber of player Hicks is and how long he is under team control for. 

Tampa Bay has to be ecstatic with this deal and should be able to help the team both this season and for many seasons to come.