The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.The tradeRays get: C Liam Hicks
Marlins get: INF Adrian Santana, RHP Jacob Kisting, INF Brayden TaylorHicks is the Rays’ kind of misfit toyRays: B+
Marlins: AThe arrival of highly touted catcher Joe Mack (No. 52 on Keith Law’s preseason prospect rankings) made Hicks expendable for the Marlins. Easy come, easy go: Miami got Hicks as a Rule 5 pick from the Tigers in December 2024, and it turned his stellar performance into a strong prospect package today.Hicks has shown an impressive approach at the plate, with just 39 strikeouts in 409 plate appearances this season to go with 40 walks. He has also increased his power, from six homers last year to 14 this season, in roughly the same number of times up.The flaw in Hicks’ game is that he doesn’t hit lefties; he has gone just .199/.301/.237 (yes, that’s .237 slugging) in his career. But the deal fits with the Rays’ ethos: They don’t mind if you’re a misfit toy, because they’ll only play with the good parts. And Hicks sure knows how to hit righties, with a .281/.368/.427 slash line off them in his career.
In Taylor and Santana, the Marlins acquired both of the Rays’ first-round picks from the 2023 draft. Taylor is a plus defender at third base who struggled in Double A last season but has thrived at that level this year (.284/.384/.513).Law believes that Santana, a 21-year-old switch hitter who went to high school in nearby Doral, Fla., should be an everyday shortstop in two to three years, calling him an elite defender who controls the strike zone exceptionally well.Kisting has been terrific this year in High A: 1.67 ERA and 10 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s a big guy with good life on his two-seamer and could develop into a back-end starter if he improves his breaking ball. — Tyler KepnerMarlins gain a promising prospect package in returnRays: B
