The Tampa Bay Rays upgraded the catching position by acquiring catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins. The Rays sent the Marlins three minor league players including infielders Braden Taylor, Adrian Santana, and right handed pitcher Jacob Kisting. Neither the Marlins or Rays have officially announced the deal.
The 27-year old Hicks is having a fantastic season with the bat hitting .282/.363/.432 with 14 homers in 409 plate appearances. He’s shown excellent plate discipline, walking 40 times while striking out just 39. In his career he has started 81 games as a catcher and 42 at first base.
Hicks was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 9th Round of the 2021 draft out of Arkansas State University. He was left unprotected by the Rangers and was selected by Miami in the 2025 Rule 5 draft. After the draft, there was discussion of Miami and Tampa Bay completing a trade for Hicks, but obviously, the deal never materialized.
Hicks is under team control through the 2030 season and Hicks will be arbitration eligible in 2028.
The 24-year old Taylor was the Rays first round pick (19th overall) in 2023 out of Texas Christian University. He struggled to begin his pro career but has rebounded to post an impressive .284/.384/.513 slash line with 17 homers spanning 380 plate appearances with the Rays Double-A affiliate Montgomery Biscuits.
The 21-year old Santana is a slick fielding shortstop who the Rays selected in the first round (#31 overall) of the 2023 draft out of Doral Academy Preparatory School. He is a solid contact hitter who is batting .316/.381/.400 with the Rays High-A affilate Bowling Green Hot Rods.
The 23-year old Kisting is a right handed starting pitcher who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th Round of the 2024 draft out of Bradley University. He was traded to the Rays from the Twins for reliever Eric Orze in November of 2025. With the Hot-Rods this season he has been outstanding posting a 6-0 mark with a 1.67 ERA while exhibiting the ability to miss bats (10.0 K/9) and command of the strike zone (1.9 BB/9).
The MLB.com pipeline Rays Top 30 list ranks Taylor as the #16 prospect, Kisting at #26, and Santana at #27.
Overall, it’s a steep price in prospects for the Rays to send to their former General Manager and Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix. The Rays hope that the tandem of Nick Fortes and Liam Hicks can solidify the catching position for the next several years while other prospects can develop.
