Nick Fortes, a DeLand native, will swap Sunshine State teams as the Tampa Bay Rays have acquired him from the Miami Marlins.
DeLand High grad Nick Fortes is at the center of a deal between Florida’s two franchises before the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
The Miami Marlins are sending the 28-year-old catcher to the Tampa Bay Rays for minor-league outfielder Matthew Etzel, as first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Fortes, earning $1.86 million this season, has three years of arbitration remaining.
In 59 games, Fortes is hitting .240 with a .637 OPS, two home runs, six doubles, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Defensively, he ranks in the top 8% among catchers leaguewide in blocks above average (seven) and in the top 11% in pop time on throws to second base (1.92 seconds).
Rays in discussions to acquire catcher Nick Fortes from Marlins, sources tell @TheAthletic. Fortes, 28, would replace Danny Jansen. Earning $1.86M this season, with three years of arbitration remaining.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2025
Miami selected Fortes in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft after his three-year career at Ole Miss. He made his big-league debut three years later, socking four home runs in 14 games after a September call-up.
Across parts of five seasons, Fortes has a lifetime slash line of .225/.277/.344 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 119 runs, 10 stolen bases, a 16.3% strikeout rate and a 5.2% walk rate.
Etzel, a 23-year-outfielder, is the No. 28 prospect in the Rays' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. He has suited up 56 times this year for Double-A Montgomery, hitting .230 with five home runs and 34 RBIs.
In a separate deal, the Rays sent catcher Danny Jansen and cash to the Milwaukee Brewers for infield prospect Jadher Areinamo.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: MLB trade deadline: Miami Marlins send Nick Fortes to Tampa Bay Rays
Category: Baseball
