Winter Meetings: Asheville Hotel Ballroom; Dec 15, 2030

Wow, what a whirlwind for Canton Longshoreman fans. The big news first, Owner William Marsten IV has uprooted the team, to many seemingly out of no where, out west to Madison, WI. Madison, the former home of the Madison Cheeseheads, AAA squad of the Duluth Warriors, has gone from having no baseball team to inheriting a major league squad seemingly overnight.

Comments from Marsten during the presentation during the Winter Meetings brought to light that discussions started back in 2029 and really started to gain steam in the offseason. Marsten did spend a little bit of time traveling and researching new sites as he continues to focus on expanding his holdings, but fell in love Madison and the surrounding area and Breweries. Marsten mentioned that the franchise has agreed to partner with various breweries around the globe in their new rebranding in hopes of capturing a larger and more varied fan base. This shift started in 2030 with the new Rookie Club in Australia, the Melbourne Bitters who have partnered with the Carlton & United Breweries, makers of Victoria Bitters.

Marsten continues to push to rebrand his franchise and provide more of a singular focus on winning. Something the Canton team has not been able to do in the 24 year history of PEBA baseball. We consistently see old faces in new places succeeded with the change of scenery and this part of the approach Marsten took in his move to Madison. Whether they can win sooner rather than later is still up in the air as GM Czosnyka continues to make some interesting moves in a deep rebuild.

Not surprisingly, fans have been excited about the big changes and tickets have been selling like hot cakes.

The logo itself is an homage to a local brewery, New Glarus Brewing Company, located south-west of Madison.

The home jerseys themselves are now a classic white with green pin-stripes and a matching green cap. Away gear includes a maroon jersey with black and cream piping. The cap being a solid cream color with black logo.

Madison looks to start fresh with a new home, new look, and new feel. The big move wasn’t the only moves happening during the Winter Meetings. Madison added another arm to the rotation with the acquisition of 32 year old righty, José Castillo. They also moved back up catcher Mu-sang Ch’oe to the Palm Springs Codgers for 2B Charlie Liston and an 8th round draft pick in the upcoming draft. Moving from a position of depth for some depth in return looks like a win-win for both squads.

The big move though came in a trade between Madison and the Amsterdam Lions. Canton moved the #4 overall pick in the upcoming draft to the Lions in exchange for LF prospect, Pablo ‘Mountain Man’ Garza a big bat out of the Louisville High Fives and a 4th round draft pick. Garza, the #2 overall pick back in 2029 did not have much of an impact in his first year, but 2030 was a breakout year in the SS-A as he made an All-Star appearance, won the SS-A AL Platinum Stick Award at LF as well as SS-A AL Outstanding Hitter Award. Pablo is probably still a couple years away from breaking the line up in Madison, but he could make it up in line with other break out prospects such as Steve Overgaag, Guinn Leith, and Zach Adderley.

The most exciting news however, is that the Canton Port Times will live on as The Malthouse Revolving Tap! Continue to get your Madison news in the same spot you always have and tap into the Madison Malts for your baseball needs!

– Damson Actinon, The Malthouse: Revolving Tap