Roberta Umor, Yuma Sun

1 February 2020—Yuma, AZ: Rumors coming out of the Florida Featherheads front office hint at a blockbuster trade between between the Featherheads and the Yuma Bulldozers.

Inside sources haven’t confirmed the trade but don’t deny that Yuma has been shopping its top pitching prospect, Victor Latham, for a young hitter of equal potential. Apparently, the Dozers have found what they want in Florida’s top hitting prospect, LF Danny Burton.

Burton was a 2016 first round draft pick for the Featherheads; Latham was the Dozers first pick in 2017. Both have shined in the minors, with Burton slashing .302/.359/.479 this past season in AA, while Latham went 14-7 with a 3.70 ERA for Yuma’s AAA affiliate, Henderson. In 2018, Latham was named the #11 prospect in all of PEBA, the same year Burton was named PEBA’s #15 prospect overall.

Although Florida GM Kevin Lewis would not confirm the trade rumors, he did tell reporters, “Latham is a fine pitcher and any organization would be happy to have him. Likewise for Burton. We are fortunate that he is part of our organization. He is as untouchable as Latham is.”

While Lewis’ comments would seem to deny that Florida is considering the trade, unofficial sources close to the Yuma GM claimed that an essential element of negotiations between the Dozers and Featherheads was agreement not to release any information to the press.

Lewis’ soap box rhetoric would be consistent with a secret agreement to gag the press: “Do not always believe the media. They are only right half of the time. The other half is just fabrication.”

When pressed on the question of whether he, or anyone in the Florida front office, had been contacted by the Yuma GM, Lewis admitted that “any organization listens to trade offers and kicks around deals themselves. That is all just part of the game.”

As he was leaving the press conference, Lewis seemed to admit Florida’s involvement in some sort of negotiations: “Phone calls and text messages happen all the time.”

Yuma’s GM Bob Mayberry has been unavailable to the press for more than a year now.

While the Yuma front office has made no official pronouncements regarding Mayberry’s whereabouts, it is generally acknowledged that he is recovering from an emotional breakdown at a mental health facility in the Southwest.

The Yuma Consortium of owners directed this reporter to spokeswoman Emma Span for comment on the rumored trade, but Span, who resides in New Jersey, was not available for comment.

If the trade is confirmed, it will stand as one of the most memorable exchanges of minor league talent in the history of the PEBA.