Marlins trade Hicks to Rays

The Miami Marlins have traded Toronto Mets alum Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) to the Tampa Bay Rays.

August 3, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

The Miami Marlins have traded catcher Liam Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for infield prospects Brayden Taylor and Adrian Santana and pitching prospect Jacob Kisting.

Jeff Passan, of ESPN, was the first to report the transaction.

Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) has enjoyed a breakout season for the Marlins. In 101 games, the 26-year-old Canuck is batting .282 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs. He’s also one of a select few MLB players with more walks (40) than strikeouts (39). This has helped him post an impressive .363 on-base percentage.

Hicks, who has also seen time at first base and DH with the Marlins, is in his second big league campaign. In 119 games with the Marlins in 2025, he batted .247 with a .346 on-base percentage with six home runs and 45 RBIs.

He joined the Marlins after he was selected from the Detroit Tigers in the Rule 5 draft in December 2024.

A Toronto Mets alum, Hicks was originally chosen in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. He played parts of four minor league seasons in the Rangers and Tigers organizations before graduating to the big leagues.

He made his national team debut with Canada at the World Baseball Classic in March.

Hicks is expected to take over the everyday catching duties with the Rays.

The Marlins have landed three solid prospects in exchange for Hicks. Taylor, 24, was a first-round pick of the Rays in 2023. With the double-A Montgomery Biscuits this season, he owns a .284/.384/.513 slash line and has 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 88 games.

Santana was taken 12 picks after Taylor in the 2023 MLB draft. The 21-year-old infielder has hit .316 with three home runs and 23 stolen bases in 51 games for the High-A Bowling Green Hot Reds in 2026.

Kisting has been a teammate of Santana’s with the Hot Rods. The 23-year-old right-hander has dominated this season, going 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA in 18 appearances (16 starts). He has 96 strikeouts in 86 innings.