Rays Trade for Liam Hicks Amid Standings Race With Yankees, Latest MLB Rumors on Marlins' Return

The Tampa Bay Rays landed catcher Liam Hicks in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Monday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Miami received three prospects from Tampa Bay including infielder Brayden Taylor as part of the swap, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that infielder Adrian Santana and right-handed pitcher Jacob Kisting also went to the Marlins in the trade.

The Rays are currently battling with the New York Yankees atop the American League East standings, owning a 2.5-game lead for the No. 1 spot in the division with a 65-46 record.

Tampa Bay's interest in Hicks on the trade market was evident prior to the deal, as Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic initially reported that the team showed a desire to add the 27-year-old on Sunday.

Hicks is hitting .282 with nine doubles, 14 home runs and 62 RBI in 101 games this season. He's also posted a .795 OPS.

Hicks has been particularly sharp at the plate as of late, owning a .309 batting average over his past 40 games.

He's also under team control through 2030.

The Marlins ultimately chose to part ways with Hicks following their recent struggles, as they've gone 6-13 over their past 19 games despite sitting at 58-55 overall.

They received Taylor, the Rays' No. 16 prospect (via MLB.com). Kisting and Santana are also listed as Tampa Bay's No. 26 and No. 27 overall prospects, respectively.