Rays Trade Package To Acquire Liam Hicks From Marlins Revealed
In this story:
The Tampa Bay Rays made their second deal ahead of the MLB trade deadline, this time upgrading their lineup.
Catcher has been a position of need for the Rays, and they addressed it by acquiring Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins. He certainly fits the profile of the kind of player the team targets, someone who puts the ball in play with regularity and doesn’t strike out a ton.
Under team control through 2030, this is a massive addition to the team, someone who is going to be able to contribute not only for the remainder of 2026, but for years to come. And the price to bring him to Tampa Bay wasn’t overly expensive.
According to MLB insider Joel Sherman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Rays are sending infielder Brayden Taylor, right-hander Jacob Kisting and shortstop Adrian Santana to the Marlins.
Rays trade three prospects to Marlins for Liam Hicks
They are ranked Nos. 16, 26 and 27 in Tampa Bay’s top 30 prospect rankings. Given how deep the Rays’ farm system is, they are likely going to be ranked higher by Miami, but this is still a great deal of value for the franchise.
They are upgrading at a position of need at the Major League level without trading away a single prospect who is the top player at their respective position. Cooper Flemming is the highest-rated player listed as an infielder, coming in at No. 4.
Brayden Taylor, Adrian Santana, Jacob Kisting going from Rays to the Marlins for Liam Hicks
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 3, 2026
There are nine right-handed pitchers ranked ahead of Kisting in the organization. Santana is the No. 4-ranked shortstop in the organization, and that is before MLB Pipeline has added players from the 2026 MLB Draft.
Grady Emerson, who was selected No. 2 overall by Tampa Bay, has a chance to be the No. 1-ranked prospect in the organization right away. At the very least, he will be right behind current No. 1, outfielder Theo Gillen.
Rays did very well in trade for Liam Hicks
Given how many players were selected in the draft, there was certainly a chance Kisting and Santana fell out of the top 30 altogether whenever the next update is provided.
This is the second trade that the Rays have made ahead of the deadline, as they addressed their starting pitching need by acquiring Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets.
Even when taking that deal into account, Tampa Bay hasn’t parted ways with a single top 10 prospect; Aidan Smith, who is heading to the Mets, was the highest-ranked player at No. 15. That provides the front office with plenty of ammunition to swing more deals in the final hours before the deadline.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.