Tampa Bay Lands Defensive Whiz Nick Fortes from Marlins, Bolstering Backstop with Batting Upswing TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rays have made another move to bolster their catching corps, acquiring veteran backstop Nick Fortes from the Miami Marlins in exchange for outfielder Matthew Etzel.

Nick Fortes, a DeLand native, will swap Sunshine State teams as the Tampa Bay Rays have acquired him from the Miami Marlins.

The Tampa Bay Rays went into the MLB trade deadline as buyers, but their perspective is changing due to their struggles.

Often considered the gold standard of Rays deadline deals and a cautionary tale league-wide. The Rays turned Chris Archer into three impact players and, in later trading Glasnow and Meadows, residual returns. Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

The Rays opted for youth and control in a trade with Miami, signaling a shift in priorities behind the plate heading into the season’s stretch run.

But as the July 31 trade deadline approaches, that seems like the much more likely outcome. In the past month, the Red Sox have gotten scorching hot and the Rays have fallen all the way down to 53-52, right on the border of "sell" territory.