Tampa Bay Rays acquire Nick Fortes

[Kevin Barral]

The Miami Marlins have made their first 2025 trade deadline move, sending longtime backstop Nick Fortes to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Matthew Etzel. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report the deal on Monday. The Marlins announced it on Tuesday morning.

Fortes, drafted by the Marlins back in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, made his MLB debut back in 2021 and has been on the major league roster ever since. Through 59 games this season, he is slashing .240/.288/.349/.637 with two home runs, 10 RBI and a 76 wRC+.

Defense is primarily where Fortes' value comes from. He currently has seven blocks above average (92nd percentile among MLB catchers), two blocks above average (75th percentile), a pop time of 1.92 seconds (76th percentile) and six defensive runs saved. The 28-year-old is arbitration-eligible through the 2028 season.

The Marlins had been juggling three catchers on their active roster for most of 2025. Following this move, rookies Liam Hicks and Agustín Ramírez can get an increase in reps behind the plate. Prospect Joe Mack could potentially be up before the end of the season as well.

Going into Monday's slate of games, Rays catchers ranked 25th in wRC+. They will now roll out a duo of Fortes and Matt Thaiss following a separate trade on Monday that sent Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The return for the Marlins is 23-year-old outfielder Matthew Etzel. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. Through 56 games this season, he has slashed .230/.360/.347/.707 with five home runs, 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a 115 wRC+.

Etzel was placed on the injured list back on June 22. Expect him to report to AA-Pensacola when healthy.

Peter Bendix's first trade after being named Marlins president of baseball operations was acquiring Calvin Faucher and Vidal Bruján from Tampa Bay in November 2023. They also collaborated on a three-team deal right before Opening Day in 2024. Overall, the Rays have been the Marlins' most frequent trade partner during Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure.

The Marlins 40-man roster is now at 39.

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[MarlinFaninGA]

I hate to see Nick go. I feel like Nick has been a clutch hitter. He seems to get a hit when it's needed. But I'll trust Bendix's decisions. 

[Ely Sussman]

16 hours ago, MarlinFaninGA said:

I hate to see Nick go. I feel like Nick has been a clutch hitter. He seems to get a hit when it's needed. But I'll trust Bendix's decisions. 

There were a few clutch moments through the years, but the overall numbers don't support this reputation.

To me, what stood out is how easily he could put balls in play. The problem was how many of those were pop-ups or other unproductive outs. Fortes is a serviceable big leaguer overall, but it was frustrating that I don't think he has reached his offensive potential.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

I like Nick and wish him the best. It's great to be trading from a position of abundance.