Rays’ Top 2023 Draft Picks Highlight Return Package For Hicks

The Miami Marlins traded Liam Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays for a trio of prospects, according to ESPN senior insider Jeff Passan. 

The 27-year-old is batting .282 with a .795 OPS, 14 home runs and 62 RBI in 101 games in his second season as a big leaguer. He has spent most of the season as the designated hitter with a few assignments at catcher and first base. Being a glove that is more valuable to other teams and a bat, while productive, could be quickly replaced by giving Agustin Ramirez another chance, making Hicks a proper trade piece. 

Two of the three prospects returning from Miami were the Rays’ top two picks in the 2023 MLB Draft, at a time when Marlins head of baseball operations Peter Bendix was the Rays general manager. 

The centerpiece of the return package from the Rays is infielder Brayden Taylor, who was Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick in 2023. Taylor, ranked No. 16 in the Rays farm system according to MLB Pipeline, is slashing .284/.384/.513 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 88 games with Double-A Montgomery. 

Taylor has been with the Biscuits since his first promotion in 2024, his second year as a professional athlete. He struggled last season to the tune of a .173 batting average and .575 OPS in 108 games. His rebound this season is emblematic of the potential the Marlins saw in him. 

The Rays made Taylor the highest draft pick out of Texas Christian University after posting an average above .300 and an OPS above 1.000 each of his three seasons with the Horned Frogs. An athletic infielder demonstrating 20/20 power gives the Marlins an option to improve at third base, which is a current weakness for the big league club looking to make a run at the wild card. 

The other two prospects from the Rays are key contributors from a High-A Bowling Green team that has been dominating the South Division of the South Atlantic League. 

Adrian Santana (No. 27), who was drafted out of Doral Academy, is batting .311 with a .373 on-base percentage and 23 stolen bases through 54 games. The 21-year-old shortstop has stolen a total of 98 stolen bases between the previous two minor league seasons. 

Jacob Kisting (No. 26) has pitched like an ace for the Hot Rods, posting a 6-0 record, a 1.67 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched over 18 appearances (16 starts). Kisting was a 14th-round draft pick by the Minnesota Twins out of Bradley University in 2024. The Rays acquired the right-hander in a trade for Eric Orze last November. 

The Twins used Kisting primarily out of the bullpen in 2025 but has responded better as a starting pitcher while in the Rays' farm system this year. He provides the Marlins with more pitching depth. 

On its face, it seems questionable for the Marlins to trade one of their most productive bats at a time when they are competing for the postseason with a 58-55 record. They are hoping that whoever takes Hicks’ place in the lineup minimizes the sting, and the eventual emergence of Taylor will prove this trade to be a success for Miami.