The Miami Marlins traded catcher Liam Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays for infield prospects Brayden Taylor and Adrian Santana, as well as right-hander Jacob Kisting, they announced Monday.
Hicks is enjoying a breakout 2026 campaign but found himself squeezed out in Miami with the emergence of top prospect Joe Mack. He was splitting time between catcher, first base, and DH with the Marlins but will likely slide into the everyday catching role for the Rays.
The 27-year-old Canadian is hitting .282/.363/.432 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs in 2026, his second big-league season. He's been slightly below average behind the plate defensively, placing in the 32nd percentile of framing and 23rd in pop time.
Hicks is under team control through 2030.
He's the AL-best Rays' second major addition of the deadline following the acquisition of right-hander Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets. The Rays activated Peralta on Monday while designating veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel for assignment.
All three players going to the Marlins were ranked among Tampa Bay's top 30 prospects by MLB.com prior to the trade.
Taylor, 24, is hitting .284/.384/.513 with 17 homers, 56 RBIs, and 20 steals over 88 games at Double-A this year. He's primarily played third base this year but also has experience at second and shortstop.
Santana, 21, was the Rays' first-round pick (31st overall) in 2023. A shortstop who's also played a few games at second, the Florida native has slashed .311/.373/.395 with three homers, 24 RBIs, and 23 steals over 54 total games between the Rays' rookie-level affiliate and High-A Bowling Green in 2026.
The Rays acquired the 23-year-old Kisting from Minnesota in a minor trade this past winter. He owns a 1.67 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with a 10.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 over 18 appearances (16 starts) in High-A so far this year.
