The Miami Marlins have made moves during the trade deadline. Some moves can be for good or bad reasons, depending on the timeline and how the season progresses.
There's one trade the team made that looks like a mistake based on the way the player is performing for his current team.
The Liam Hicks Trade
Hicks, 27, was one of the Marlins' best hitters in the first half. He surprised the baseball world with his incredible approach at the plate. No one expected Hicks to become this breakout player. Hicks is one of the reasons why Miami was having success, especially when they went on a winning streak in June.
When the front office decided to trade Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays, they felt that they needed to focus more on Joe Mack to serve as the primary catcher. It's a decision that makes sense. However, if the front office could have made some things work out and placed Hicks at first base, then maybe the Marlins would have been in a much better position.
Hicks has been phenomenal with the Rays. The Rays needed a catcher, and they got it. Now, they are in the American League Championship Series facing the Cleveland Guardians. The series is currently tied. Hicks went from playing with a team with playoff aspirations to a team on the verge of potentially reaching the World Series.
In the postseason, Hicks hasn't been hitting like an elite hitter, but he has produced three hits and three RBIs in 15 at-bats. Hicks still hasn't hit a postseason home run, but he could do so in Games 5 or 6, or even 7 if the series goes to a Game 7. His best game so far has been in Game 2 of the ALCS, where he collected two hits.
Hicks finished the season hitting .284 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs. Hicks is enjoying his success with the Rays; meanwhile, the Marlins will have to find an answer at first base. Kyle Stowers has been taking the first-base assignment since the Hicks trade, but durability issues have made the team wonder if they made a mistake.
There are only a few players on the Marlins roster who can play the first base position, and Hicks was one of them. There's nothing they can do now but focus on the offseason and see who's on the market in free agency at first base.
The Marlins failed to make the playoffs, and they have a lot of work to do. The team hasn't reached the postseason since 2023, and it hasn't won the World Series since 2003.
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