Brayden

Taylor

Taylor, the 19th overall pick in the 2023 draft, has rebounded from a bad 2025 to hit .284/.384/.513 with 17 homers and 20 steals in his second go in Triple-A this year. His strikeout rate is also down to 23 percent from 28 percent the last two years. He has experience at both second and short, but he fits best at third and could be a long-term regular there. The Marlins are more aggressive than most with prospects, so perhaps he’ll get a look next month. He’ll need to be added to the 40-man this winter anyway.

Brayden Taylor is one of three prospects Miami is getting back, says Will Sammon. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman says Adrian Santana and Jacob Kisting are the other two. The Marlins didn’t have a dire need for Hicks as a catcher following Joe Mack’s emergence, so this makes a ton of sense. The Rays will probably send down fellow left-handed-hitting catcher Hunter Feduccia and keep Nick Fortes as Hicks’ backup. The Marlins could recall Agustín Ramírez to DH and play behind Mack.

As they graduate Junior Caminero, the Rays already have another top-flight third base prospect in Taylor, the 19th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He did stumble in his first taste of Double-A in the second half of last season, hitting .194/.290/.435 in 30 games, but he projects as a quality, if strikeout-prone, regular somewhere in the infield.