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Nick Fortes was standing on the field at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, going through his daily pregame routine, when he received news that changed his life.
Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and one of the club’s assistant GMs called Fortes over and informed him he was being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. Standard procedure. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He’d watched plenty of other players get dealt through the first five seasons of his Major League Baseball career. But the Marlins were the only organization he’d ever known.
“It’s definitely something that catches you off guard always because you’re not trying to focus on the possibility of getting traded regardless of the time of year,” Fortes told the News-Journal.
Now more than a year after that move on July 28, 2025, the Rays carry the top record in the American League. Fortes is enjoying his best season since his 2022 rookie campaign.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” the 29-year-old DeLand native said. “... But everybody here has been so great and so welcoming and really made the transition easy. I couldn’t really ask for a better organization to join into in the middle of the season.”
Fortes arrived in Tampa Bay during a down year. Not only was the team forced to host its home games at George Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees’ spring training facility, after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, it slumped to its worst record (77-85) since 2016.
In 38 games after the trade, Fortes hit .213 with three home runs.
This summer, both the Rays and their primary catcher have rebounded. Heading into the weekend, Fortes was batting .277 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 81 games.
He’s ramped it up since the All-Star break. In his last 10 outings, he’s hitting .414 with two of his four bombs. Tampa Bay has won six of those contests.
The Rays are pushing toward their first postseason berth since 2023. That same year, Fortes made his only playoff appearance with the Marlins.
“Getting traded over here last year, even though we didn’t have the best season speaking for Tampa Bay, you kind of knew the history and the expectation of the organization is to win,” he said. “So we came into this spring with the expectation of exceeding what we did last year by a long shot.”
He added: “It hasn’t really been an adjustment because you kind of come to the park wanting and expecting to win every day, regardless of what team you play on. But it’s been a lot of fun this year, actually getting to put together as many wins as we have so far.”
It’s been fulfilling from a personal standpoint, too.
Fortes remains close to home. He lives in Jupiter in the offseason, and his parents still reside in DeLand. He said they drive two hours and 15 minutes to St. Petersburg to watch their son play at least once a month. He makes it back to Volusia County on occasion as well.
Fortes got married last November. He and his wife, Alli, are expecting their first child in mid-November this year.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” he said. “Now that it’s so close to happening, I’m super excited and ready for it all. It’s going to be a fun offseason. It’s going to be an adjustment, but it’s going to be the best thing ever.”
But first, he has some business to attend to.
“I’m excited for the homestretch here,” Fortes said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeLand's Nick Fortes heats up 1 year after trade to Tampa Bay Rays
Continue reading...
Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and one of the club’s assistant GMs called Fortes over and informed him he was being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays. Standard procedure. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He’d watched plenty of other players get dealt through the first five seasons of his Major League Baseball career. But the Marlins were the only organization he’d ever known.
“It’s definitely something that catches you off guard always because you’re not trying to focus on the possibility of getting traded regardless of the time of year,” Fortes told the News-Journal.
Now more than a year after that move on July 28, 2025, the Rays carry the top record in the American League. Fortes is enjoying his best season since his 2022 rookie campaign.
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“I didn’t really know what to expect,” the 29-year-old DeLand native said. “... But everybody here has been so great and so welcoming and really made the transition easy. I couldn’t really ask for a better organization to join into in the middle of the season.”
Fortes arrived in Tampa Bay during a down year. Not only was the team forced to host its home games at George Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees’ spring training facility, after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, it slumped to its worst record (77-85) since 2016.
In 38 games after the trade, Fortes hit .213 with three home runs.
This summer, both the Rays and their primary catcher have rebounded. Heading into the weekend, Fortes was batting .277 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 81 games.
He’s ramped it up since the All-Star break. In his last 10 outings, he’s hitting .414 with two of his four bombs. Tampa Bay has won six of those contests.
The Rays are pushing toward their first postseason berth since 2023. That same year, Fortes made his only playoff appearance with the Marlins.
You must be registered for see images
“Getting traded over here last year, even though we didn’t have the best season speaking for Tampa Bay, you kind of knew the history and the expectation of the organization is to win,” he said. “So we came into this spring with the expectation of exceeding what we did last year by a long shot.”
He added: “It hasn’t really been an adjustment because you kind of come to the park wanting and expecting to win every day, regardless of what team you play on. But it’s been a lot of fun this year, actually getting to put together as many wins as we have so far.”
It’s been fulfilling from a personal standpoint, too.
Fortes remains close to home. He lives in Jupiter in the offseason, and his parents still reside in DeLand. He said they drive two hours and 15 minutes to St. Petersburg to watch their son play at least once a month. He makes it back to Volusia County on occasion as well.
Fortes got married last November. He and his wife, Alli, are expecting their first child in mid-November this year.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted,” he said. “Now that it’s so close to happening, I’m super excited and ready for it all. It’s going to be a fun offseason. It’s going to be an adjustment, but it’s going to be the best thing ever.”
But first, he has some business to attend to.
“I’m excited for the homestretch here,” Fortes said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeLand's Nick Fortes heats up 1 year after trade to Tampa Bay Rays
Continue reading...
