Editing Montreal Expos (section)

==History==
===Founding (1960–1968)===
Professional baseball in Montreal dates back to 1890 when teams briefly played in the [[International League|International Association]]. A second attempt at hosting a pro team failed in 1895. The [[Montreal Royals]] of the [[Eastern League (baseball, 1884–1912)|Eastern League]] were subsequently founded in 1897 and played 20 seasons.<ref>{{harvnb|Humber|1995|pp=111–113}}</ref> The Royals were revived in 1928 and were purchased by the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] in 1939 to serve as one of their [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] affiliates.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=3}}</ref> Under Dodgers' management, the Royals won seven International League championships and three [[Junior World Series]] titles between 1941 and 1958.<ref>{{harvnb|Humber|1995|p=113}}</ref> In 1946, [[Jackie Robinson]] joined the Royals and led the team to a Junior World Series title in advance of his breaking baseball's [[Baseball color line|color line]] one year later.<ref>{{citation |last=Iorfida |first=Chris |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/jackie-robinson-s-momentous-year-in-montreal-1.1403027 |title=Jackie Robinson's momentous year in Montreal |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2013-04-15 |access-date=2015-01-24 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924215407/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/jackie-robinson-s-momentous-year-in-montreal-1.1403027 |url-status=live }}</ref> By the late 1950s, the Royals' championship years were past, and faced with declining attendance, the team was sold and relocated following the 1960 season as the Dodgers reduced the number of teams they maintained at the AAA level.<ref name="Keri5">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=5}}</ref>

Almost immediately upon the Royals' demise, Montreal mayor [[Jean Drapeau]] and city executive committee chairman [[Gerry Snyder]] began their campaign for a [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) team.<ref name="Keri5" /> The city, which had previously been considered a leading candidate to acquire the [[St. Louis Browns]] if the team had relocated in 1933,<ref>{{citation |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0CIyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6549%2C3288334 |title=No foundation to baseball rumor |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1933-10-26 |access-date=2015-01-24 |page=13 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103155145/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0CIyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6549%2C3288334 |url-status=live }}</ref> was too late to submit its candidacy for a team as part of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s (NL) 1962 expansion but presented its bid to the league's owners at the winter meetings in 1967.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=6}}</ref> Aiding Montreal's bid was the fact that [[Walter O'Malley]], who owned the Dodgers and formerly oversaw the Montreal Royals, was the chairman of the NL's expansion committee.<ref name="Keri7">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=7}}</ref> On May 27, 1968, National League president [[Warren Giles]] announced the league would add expansion teams in [[San Diego Padres|San Diego]] and Montreal at a cost of US$10 million each.<ref name="MGExpansion">{{citation |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4-UiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1732%2C6849445 |title=Major League Baseball expanding to Montreal |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1968-05-28 |access-date=2015-01-24 |archive-date=January 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121115852/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4-UiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1732%2C6849445 |url-status=live }}</ref>

With the franchise secured, Snyder built an ownership group of six partners led by financier [[Jean-Louis Lévesque]] and [[Seagram]] heir [[Charles Bronfman]]. Lévesque was originally tapped as chairman and the public face of the ownership group since he was a francophone. However, he bowed out, and Bronfman took over as chairman.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=8–9}}</ref> The new group was faced with the immediate problem of finding a suitable facility in which to play for at least two years.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=10}}</ref> Drapeau had promised the NL that a domed stadium–thought to be a must due to Montreal's cold weather in April, October and sometimes September–would be built by 1971.<ref name="MGExpansion" /> However, Snyder's successor as executive committee chairman, [[Lucien Saulnier]], told Bronfman that Drapeau could not make such a guarantee on his own authority. As 1968 dragged on without movement from the city on a facility, Bronfman and his group threatened to walk away. While they had more than enough money between them to pay the first installment of the expansion fee, they wanted assurances that a park would be built before proceeding any further with the effort.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=11}}</ref> [[Delorimier Stadium]], which hosted the Royals, was rejected even as a temporary facility; it could not be expanded beyond its 20,000-seat capacity because it was in a residential area. The [[Autostade]], home of the [[Canadian Football League]]'s [[Montreal Alouettes]], was ruled out due to the prohibitive cost of expanding it and adding a dome,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=13}}</ref> as well as doubts that the city even had the right to make the needed renovations to the federally-owned facility.<ref name=GazetteJarry/>

By August 1968, the NL owners had grown increasingly concerned about the unresolved stadium question, putting the franchise's future in doubt. There were rumours of awarding the franchise to [[Buffalo, New York]] instead, whose [[War Memorial Stadium (Buffalo)|War Memorial Stadium]] was ready to host a team.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=12}}</ref> League president [[Warren Giles]] was reassured of Montreal's viability when shown a 3,000-seat community field in the centrally located [[Jarry Park]] that Drapeau proposed expanding to 30,000 seats as a temporary home for the Expos, at a cost of over C$1 million.<ref name=GazetteJarry>{{citation |last=Blackman |first=Ted |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y4Y1AAAAIBAJ&pg=860%2C1677825 |title=Drapeau's late grand slam saves ball club |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1968-08-09 |access-date=2015-01-24 |page=22 |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206074456/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y4Y1AAAAIBAJ&pg=860%2C1677825 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Several options for a team name were considered: "Royals" was a popular option with fans in honour of the minor-league Royals, but the name had already been taken by the [[Kansas City Royals]]. Other names considered included "Voyageurs" and "Nationals".<ref name="Keri15">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=15}}</ref> The team settled on "Expos", a name with the same spelling in French and English, in recognition of the recently concluded [[Expo 67]] [[World's Fair]].<ref name="Keri15" /> Less than a year after the city was awarded a team, the Expos took to the field to begin the {{mlby|1969}} season.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/baseball/major-league-baseball-comes-to-canada/montreal-expos-play-first-home-game.html |title=1969: Montreal Expos play first home game |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=2015-01-24 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224625/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/baseball/major-league-baseball-comes-to-canada/montreal-expos-play-first-home-game.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Jarry Park years (1969–1976)===
[[File:Jarry night.jpg|thumb|right|A game at Jarry Park, 1969|alt=Fans watch a game from the third base line; the scoreboard is visible beyond the right field wall.]]
With [[Gene Mauch]] as their inaugural manager, the Expos made their debut on April 8, 1969: an 11–10 victory over the [[1969 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] at [[Shea Stadium]].<ref>{{citation |last=Blackman |first=Ted |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gYMuAAAAIBAJ&pg=1498%2C1743045 |title=Expos take the opener |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1969-04-09 |access-date=2015-05-28 |page=1 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030221505/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gYMuAAAAIBAJ&pg=1498%2C1743045 |url-status=live }}</ref> The team played its first home game—and the first Major League game outside the United States—on April 14; it was an 8–7 victory over the [[1969 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] before 29,184 fans at [[Jarry Park Stadium]].<ref>{{citation |last=Blackman |first=Ted |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19690415&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |title=Big league ball fever has Expos' fans in a quiver |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1969-04-14 |access-date=2015-05-28 |page=1 |archive-date=September 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918164759/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19690415&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Three days later, on April 17, in just the team's ninth game played in their history up to that point, [[Bill Stoneman]] pitched the first [[no-hitter]] in Expos history with a 7–0 victory over the [[1969 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]].<ref name="Stoneman1969NoHitter">{{citation |last=Blackman |first=Ted |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iIMuAAAAIBAJ&pg=1468%2C4151186 |title=Stoneman no-hits Philadelphia |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1969-04-18 |access-date=2015-05-28 |page=1 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030220651/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iIMuAAAAIBAJ&pg=1468%2C4151186 |url-status=live }}</ref> The excitement of the early-season heroics quickly gave way to the realities of being an expansion team as the Expos struggled for much of their inaugural season.<ref name="Keri25">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=25}}</ref> Montreal tied their expansion cousins, the [[1969 San Diego Padres season|San Diego Padres]] for the worst record in the NL with a record of {{winpct|52|110|record=y}}.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1969.shtml |title=1969 National League team statistics and standings |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=2015-05-28 |archive-date=May 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506045945/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1969.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The team fared little better in the following seasons; the Expos went 73–89 in [[1970 Montreal Expos season|1970]] and 71–90 in [[1971 Montreal Expos season|1971]].<ref name="BRSeasonbySeason">{{citation |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/ |title=Washington Nationals team history & encyclopedia |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=2015-05-28 |archive-date=February 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222032439/http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The team's best player, and first star, in its early seasons was [[Rusty Staub]]. Acquired from the [[1969 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]] in a trade prior to the Expos' inaugural season,<ref name="Keri25" /> he led the Expos with 30 home runs in 1970 and, owing to his red hair, was nicknamed ''Le Grand Orange''.<ref name="Humber123">{{harvnb|Humber|1995|p=123}}</ref> Staub was Montreal's lone representative at the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] in the team's first three seasons, and endeared himself to the local fans by learning French.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=54–56}}</ref> Also popular was pitcher [[Claude Raymond (baseball)|Claude Raymond]], who completed his major league career with Montreal in [[1972 Montreal Expos season|1972]] and was the team's first French-Canadian star.<ref name="Humber123" /> Pitcher [[Carl Morton]], who posted an 18–11 record in 1970, was the first player in franchise history to be named [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award|National League Rookie of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web|title=All-time winners: Rookie of the Year|url=http://m.mlb.com/awards/history-winners/?award_id=NLROY|publisher=[[MLB Advanced Media]]|website=[[MLB.com]]|access-date=May 28, 2015|archive-date=September 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906140801/http://m.mlb.com/awards/history-winners/?award_id=NLROY|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bill Stoneman threw his second no-hitter, and the first pitched outside the United States, in a 7–0 win over the [[1972 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] in Montreal on October 2, 1972.<ref name="Stoneman1972NoHitter">{{citation |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qhMyAAAAIBAJ&pg=826%2C404438 |title=Stoneman repeats his no-hit gem |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1972-10-03 |access-date=2015-05-28 |page=27 |archive-date=November 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126180811/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qhMyAAAAIBAJ&pg=826,404438 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The team failed to post a winning season in its first ten years and finished fifth or sixth in the six-team NL East eight times.<ref name="BRSeasonbySeason" /> Attendance declined as the initial excitement of having a team wore off. It recovered briefly in [[1973 Montreal Expos season|1973]] as the Expos mounted an unsuccessful charge at the NL East pennant, before declining sharply in [[1974 Montreal Expos season|1974]] and beyond.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=61}}</ref> By [[1976 Montreal Expos season|1976]], attendance had dropped to just over 600,000 fans over the course of the season, less than half of what the Expos drew in their inaugural season.<ref name="Humber123" />

The on-field performance was not the only concern for the Expos. Jarry Park was only intended to serve as a temporary home until 1971 at the latest.<ref name=SABROlympicStadium/> Even allowing for this, it left much to be desired as a baseball venue. The grandstands were completely exposed to the elements, forcing the Expos to postpone a number of early-season games. Additionally, the sun set directly in the face of first basemen, forcing delays. Due to numerous delays and cost overruns with its intended replacement, [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]], the Expos were forced to stay in Jarry through 1976.<ref>Costello, Ryan. [http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/be7dd3d0 Jarry Park (Montreal)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112061857/http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/be7dd3d0 |date=January 12, 2016 }}. [[Society for American Baseball Research]], 2011.</ref>

The team's future was also placed in doubt following an angry speech by Bronfman in which he threatened to relocate his family and the [[Seagram]] company outside Quebec if the separatist [[Parti Québécois]] (PQ) won a majority government in the [[1976 Quebec general election|1976 Quebec election]].<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=99}}</ref> The Parti Québécois did win the election; however, Bronfman and the Expos remained in Quebec.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=100}}</ref>

===The Big O and Blue Monday (1977–1981)===
For the {{mlby|1977}} season, the Expos moved into their new ballpark, [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]], six years later than originally scheduled.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=103}}</ref> For a time in the 1976–77 offseason, however, it appeared that the Expos would have to play at least the early part of the season at Jarry Park due to delays in securing a lease for Olympic Stadium. The team broke off negotiations not long after the PQ's landslide victory in the 1976 provincial election. Negotiations dragged out through the winter, leading the Expos to begin selling 1977 season tickets under the assumption they would have to play at Jarry. However, an agreement was finally reached in early 1977.<ref name=SABROlympicStadium>Costello, Rory. [http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/477659 Olympic Stadium (Montreal)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222133934/http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/477659 |date=December 22, 2015 }}. [[Society for American Baseball Research]], 2013.</ref> A total of 57,592 fans attended Montreal's [[opening day]] 7–2 loss to Philadelphia.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gilbert |first=Doug |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BpUuAAAAIBAJ&pg=2679%2C6822 |title=New park a winner for Expos |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1977-04-16 |access-date=2015-05-29 |page=1 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114054425/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BpUuAAAAIBAJ&pg=2679%2C6822 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The new facility was a significant upgrade, although weather-related issues created by Montreal's harsh climate persisted until the stadium's roof was installed in 1987. Over the years, the stadium became notorious for its poor playing conditions. Players were frequently at risk for injury due to thin padding on the outfield fences, as well as the original [[artificial turf]] that remained in place for over two decades. Ultimately, the park became viewed as a [[white elephant]].<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=107–109}}</ref> On the field, the Expos continued to fare poorly; the team won 75 games in 1977, and 76 in {{mlby|1978}}.<ref name="BRSeasonbySeason" />

Though the losing seasons mounted, the Expos built a solid core of players, led by [[Gary Carter]], who went on to become one of baseball's best hitting catchers,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=76}}</ref> pitcher [[Steve Rogers (baseball)|Steve Rogers]] and outfielders [[Andre Dawson]] and [[Tim Raines]].<ref name="Humber123" /> They supplemented their young roster with veteran acquisitions such as future [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Famer]] [[Tony Pérez]],<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=115}}</ref> and in 1977, the Expos also hired [[Dick Williams]] as the team's manager. Williams had developed a reputation for nurturing young talent; he had managed a young [[Boston Red Sox]] team to the American League pennant in {{mlby|1967}} and the [[Oakland Athletics]] to back-to-back [[World Series]] titles in 1972 and 1973.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=109–111}}</ref> In {{mlby|1979}}, Montreal had its first winning season in franchise history; in mid-July, the Expos led the NL East by 6.5 games,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=129}}</ref> before finishing second to the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] by two games with a 95–65 record.<ref name="BRSeasonbySeason" /> The fans responded: Montreal drew two million fans for the first time in franchise history and it was the first of five consecutive seasons that the team was in the top-four of National League attendance.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=130}}</ref> Though they won five fewer games in {{mlby|1980}} than the previous season, the Expos finished merely one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the division lead.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1980.shtml |title=1980 National League Team Statistics and Standings |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=2015-05-31 |archive-date=August 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814150607/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1980.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In both seasons, the Expos were in the hunt for the division title into the last weekend of the season before losing to the ultimate World Series champion.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=150}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| footer    = Baseball hat and home jersey worn by the Montreal Expos players from 1969 to 1991.
| image1    = Montreal Expos baseball cap 1969-1991.jpg
| width1    = 250
| image2    = Montreal Expos baseball jersey 1969-1991.jpg
| width2    = 188
}}
In {{mlby|1981}}, [[Charlie Lea]] pitched the third no-hitter in franchise history. He defeated the [[San Francisco Giants]] by a 4–0 score on May 10, 1981.<ref name="LeaNoHitter">{{citation |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DYsxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1819%2C8508 |title=Giants blanked 4–0 |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1981-05-11 |access-date=2015-07-25 |page=A1}}</ref> The Expos were in third place in the NL East with a 30–25 record when the season was halted for two months by a [[1981 Major League Baseball strike|players' strike]]. By the time the strike ended, 713 games had been lost and could not possibly be made up. Major League Baseball chose to adopt a split-season schedule, which gave the Expos a fresh start in the second half of the season.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=157–158}}</ref> With the team languishing near the .500 mark in post-strike play, the club fired Williams and replaced him with scouting director [[Jim Fanning]]. The team continued to struggle, though, and had a 19–19 record with 15 games left to play.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=161–162}}</ref> Montreal won 11 of the remaining games and finished in first place, a {{frac|1|2}} game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates, thereby qualifying for the franchise's first post-season berth.<ref name="Keri168">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=168}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1981.shtml |title=1981 National League Team Statistics and Standings |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |access-date=2015-05-31 |archive-date=October 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014175211/https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1981.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Terry Francona]] caught the final out – a fly ball hit by [[Dave Kingman]] – to seal a 5–4 victory over the New York Mets in the clinching game.<ref name="Keri168" />

In the [[1981 National League Division Series]], the Expos faced the first-half winners, the defending world champion Phillies. Montreal won the first two games, at Olympic Stadium, by identical 3–1 scores before dropping the following two games in Philadelphia. In the deciding fifth game, Montreal's Steve Rogers faced [[Steve Carlton]] in a pitchers' duel. Rogers pitched a complete-game shutout as Montreal advanced to the [[1981 National League Championship Series]] with a 3–0 win.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=169–170}}</ref> Facing the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], Montreal split the first two games of the best-of-five series in Los Angeles before returning home for the final three games. Montreal won game three, but failed in their first attempt to close out the series by losing game four and set up a deciding fifth game.<ref name="Keri173">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=173}}</ref> The deciding game, postponed by a day due to rain, was played October 19, 1981, in near-freezing temperatures.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=175}}</ref> The game was tied at 1 entering the ninth inning when Fanning opted to have his top starter, Steve Rogers, come out of the [[bullpen]] to pitch. Rogers retired the first two batters before facing [[Rick Monday]].<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=178}}</ref> What followed was the defining moment in Expos history: on a 3–1 count, Rogers hung a [[Sinker (baseball)|sinking fastball]] that Monday hit over the centrefield fence for the game-winning and series-clinching home run.<ref name="FailedDynasty">{{citation |last=Keri |first=Jonah |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=dynasties/expos/080226 |title=1980 Expos: The team of the '80s |publisher=ESPN |date=2008-04-04 |access-date=2015-06-03 |archive-date=June 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603162954/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=dynasties/expos/080226 |url-status=live }}</ref> The moment, and game, became known to Expos fans as "Blue Monday".<ref>{{citation |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |title=Blue Monday: Dodger broke Expos fans' hearts with homer Series |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1999-11-28 |page=B6}}</ref> The dramatic loss was a bitter defeat for a franchise who by that time had been adopted as Canada's most popular baseball team.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Gallagher |first1=Danny |last2=Young |first2=Bill |title=The Curse of Blue Monday Series: Remembering the Montreal Expos |work=National Post |date=2006-04-04 |page=A18}}</ref>

==="The team of the '80s" (1982–1988)===
[[File:Andres galarraga2002.jpg|thumb|right|[[Andrés Galarraga]], pictured here in 2002, also played with the Expos from 1985 to 1991.|alt=Close-up view of Galarraga as he poses.]]
By the end of the 1979 season, the Expos had earned a reputation for having one of the strongest player development systems in baseball; the team had stockpiled young talent throughout its roster including four starting pitchers below the age of 23, and was hailed as "the team of the '80s".<ref name="FailedDynasty" /> When Montreal hosted the [[1982 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] on July 13, 1982, Expos fans voted four of their own into the starting lineup: Carter, Dawson, Raines and Rogers, while [[Al Oliver]] was named as a reserve. It was only the second time since 1969 the host team had four starters.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=187–188}}</ref> The National League claimed a 4–1 victory in front of 59,057 fans in the first All-Star Game held outside the United States; Rogers was the winning pitcher.<ref>{{citation |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |title=NL All-Stars win 11th straight on home run by Concepcion |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1982-07-14 |page=H1}}</ref> Baseball historian and author [[Jonah Keri]] argued in his book ''Up, Up and Away'' that "no one at the stadium could know it then, but baseball in Montreal peaked that night at the Big O."<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=188}}</ref>

The Expos were widely predicted to win the NL East in {{mlby|1982}}; ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', ''[[Baseball Digest]]'' and ''[[The Sporting News]]'' were among the publications that favoured Montreal.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=189}}</ref> However, the team disappointed. Montreal finished third in the division with 86 wins.<ref name="FailedDynasty" /> The Expos replaced Fanning with [[Bill Virdon]] in {{baseball year|1983}}, and under their new manager, led the division in mid-July.<ref>{{citation |last=Wulf |first=Steve |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1983/07/18/626539/a-tale-of-two-cities |title=A tale of two cities |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=1983-07-18 |access-date=2015-06-15 |archive-date=March 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317165026/https://www.si.com/vault/1983/07/18/626539/a-tale-of-two-cities |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the team faded down the stretch and finished with an 82–80 record.<ref name="FailedDynasty" /> The Expos won more games between 1979 and 1983 than any other team in the NL East, but had only one postseason appearance to show for it.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=202}}</ref>

Hoping to turn the team's fortunes around, the Expos signed 42-year-old veteran [[Pete Rose]], who was second all-time in base hits to [[Ty Cobb]], to a one-year contract in {{baseball year|1984}}.<ref>{{citation |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7-tVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3851%2C3513431 |title=Pete Rose joins Montreal Expos |work=Beaver County Times |date=1984-01-20 |access-date=2015-06-15 |page=B1 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030221504/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7-tVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3851%2C3513431 |url-status=live }}</ref> Rose reached a career milestone in Montreal's home opener by recording the 4,000th hit of his career in a 5–1 victory over Philadelphia on April 13.<ref>{{citation |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WZEjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6206%2C2202107 |title=Rose gets 4,000th hit as Expos win opener |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1984-04-14 |access-date=2015-06-15 |page=H1 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114054425/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WZEjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6206%2C2202107 |url-status=live }}</ref> Though players and management had praised the acquisition of Rose and predicted he would help the team win the division, he was ineffective for Montreal. Rose batted only .259 and failed to hit a home run in 95 games before he was traded back to his original team, Cincinnati,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=205}}</ref> and Montreal finished with a losing record on the season.<ref name="FailedDynasty" />

Montreal's failed 1984 season resulted in a 31 percent decrease in attendance at the same time salaries were escalating throughout baseball.<ref name="Keri 206">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=206–207}}</ref> As a consequence, the Expos completed a major trade following the season, sending Gary Carter to the New York Mets on December 10, 1984, in exchange for four players.<ref>{{citation |last=Elliott |first=Bob |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tr8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=1128%2C6622 |title=Expos trade Gary Carter for 4 Mets |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=1984-12-11 |access-date=2015-06-15 |page=A1 |archive-date=December 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209100234/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tr8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=1128%2C6622 |url-status=live }}</ref> In trading Carter, the Expos gave up a team icon who, like Rusty Staub before him, endeared himself to the fans by learning French and being one of the most accessible players on the team.<ref name="Keri 206" /> The trade came one year after Bronfman had called the seven-year, US$12.6 million contract Carter signed in 1981 "the biggest mistake he had made in his life".<ref>{{citation |last=Elliott |first=Bob |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tr8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=1802%2C212048 |title=Owner hinted at Carter deal |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=1984-12-11 |access-date=2015-06-15 |page=C1 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030220814/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tr8yAAAAIBAJ&pg=1802%2C212048 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The economics of Major League Baseball also resulted in the departure of Andre Dawson following the {{baseball year|1986}} season. Throughout that off-season, MLB owners [[Major League Baseball collusion|colluded]] at the behest of Commissioner [[Peter Ueberroth]] to drive salaries for free agents down. Dawson, who should have been one of the most valuable [[free agent]]s on the market that year, discovered that not only was there little interest in signing him, but that the Expos were publicly commenting about his knee problems in an effort to further drive interest down.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=221}}</ref> Angered by these actions, Dawson walked into the [[Chicago Cubs]]' training camp with a signed, blank contract. The Cubs agreed to sign Dawson to a one-year, $500,000 contract, less than half of his previous salary.<ref name="Tribune-GreenDawson">{{Citation |last = Mitchell |first = Fred |title = Dallas Green recalls Andre Dawson 'blank check' signing |work=Chicago Tribune |date = 2010-01-07 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-07-mitchell-andre-dawson-jan07,0,6989682.column |access-date=2010-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111033945/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-07-mitchell-andre-dawson-jan07,0,6989682.column
 | archive-date=2010-01-11}}</ref><ref name="BR-Dawson">{{citation |title=Andre Dawson Statistics and History |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dawsoan01.shtml |access-date=2015-07-28 |archive-date=June 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607115241/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dawsoan01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
Dawson hit 49 home runs and drove in 137 runs in {{baseball year|1987}}, attaining the honour of NL Most Valuable Player.<ref name="Keri222">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=222}}</ref>

Tim Raines was also affected by collusion: after receiving no offer worth more than the $1.5 million he earned in 1986, Raines returned to the Expos on a three-year, $5 million contract.<ref name="Keri222" /> He had one of the best seasons of his career in 1987, leading the NL with 123 runs (in 139 games), stealing 50 bases, batting .330 and hitting 18 home runs.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=224}}</ref> He was also named the most valuable player of the [[1987 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]], as he drove in the game's only two runs with a triple in the 13th inning.<ref>{{citation |last=Purdy |first=Mark |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HVpWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4217%2C459540 |title=The Good, the bad and the ugly |work=Spokane Spokesman Review |date=1987-07-16 |access-date=2015-06-15 |page=C4 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030221053/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HVpWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4217%2C459540 |url-status=live }}</ref> Raines was ultimately traded to the [[Chicago White Sox]] in 1990.<ref name="Humber124">{{harvnb|Humber|1995|p=124}}</ref>

==="El Presidente, El Perfecto!" (1989–1993)===
[[Image:Expos1992.jpg|thumb|left|The Expos, wearing their [[powder blue]] road uniforms, face the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in 1991|alt=A St. Louis runner breaks from first base as the Expos pitcher throws to the plate.]]
On the field, the Expos won just four games more than they lost between 1986 and 1991 as the organization set about rebuilding its development system and acquiring a new generation of players.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=220}}</ref> The team struggled to attract free agents to Montreal,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=234}}</ref> and Bronfman had grown disillusioned with both the business of baseball and the challenge of drawing fans to Olympic Stadium for a middling ball club.<ref name="Keri236">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=236}}</ref> He hoped to take one more chance at winning a title, however, and in {{baseball year|1989}}, the Expos made a push for a division title by acquiring starting pitcher and pending free agent [[Mark Langston]] from the [[Seattle Mariners]].<ref name="Keri236" /> The price would ultimately prove to be a high one as the Expos gave up future Hall of Famer [[Randy Johnson]] and two other pitchers.<ref name="JohnsonMartinezRetrospective">{{citation |last=Cowan |first=Stu |url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/stu-on-sports/former-expos-martinez-johnson-join-other-hall-of-famers-for-top-10-list-with-david-letterman |title=Former Expos Martinez, Johnson join other Hall of Famers for Top 10 List with David Letterman |work=Montreal Expos |date=2015-01-08 |access-date=2015-06-19 |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008153316/https://montrealgazette.com/sports/stu-on-sports/former-expos-martinez-johnson-join-other-hall-of-famers-for-top-10-list-with-david-letterman |url-status=live }}</ref> The trade helped propel the Expos to first place in the NL East by the All-Star break. They held the top spot into August before Langston and the team collapsed.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 1; As expected, the club slowly rose in the standings...</ref> The Expos finished fourth in the division with an 81–81 record,<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch.1; However, once August rolled around and every game began to count, the team collapsed...</ref> and Langston left Montreal as a free agent.<ref>{{Citation |title=Expos out of Langston lottery |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=1989-10-17 |page=C1}}</ref>

Bronfman grew increasingly uneasy about the reckless spending of his fellow team owners, increased strife with the players, and overall direction of MLB.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch.1; Charles Bronfman was horrified by the reckless approach of his fellow owners...</ref> According to then-team president [[Claude Brochu]], the team's late-season decline in 1989 proved too much for Bronfman, who asked him to seek a buyer for the team.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 1; He turned to me and said, "Claude, I want to sell the ball club."</ref>

Bronfman hoped to sell the team for around $50 million, but both he and Brochu found it impossible to find a local businessman willing to take primary ownership of the team.<ref name="Keri236"/> Groups from American cities were interested, however. One group offered to buy the club for $135 million and relocate it to Miami; however, Bronfman viewed a relocation as a last resort.<ref>{{citation |title=Miami group wants Expos; Bronfman not addressing any U.S. offers yet |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=1990-08-07 |page=C1}}</ref> [[Robert E. Rich Jr.]] offered to buy the club for $100 million and relocate it to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] at their recently built [[Sahlen Field|Pilot Field]], but received the same response.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/rich-says-battle-to-obtain-big-league-franchise-isnt-over/article_30a04d0f-8ced-58c9-85be-173d7c35644f.html |title=Rich Says Battle to Obtain Big League Franchise Isn't Over |last=Felser |first=Larry |work=The Buffalo News |date=August 16, 1992 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511224044/https://buffalonews.com/news/rich-says-battle-to-obtain-big-league-franchise-isnt-over/article_30a04d0f-8ced-58c9-85be-173d7c35644f.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, Brochu opted to lead a group himself. The city and the province agreed to fund $33 million of the $100 million sales price Bronfman had settled on,<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 2; The Quebec government and City of Montreal therefore agreed to commit $18 million and $15 million, respectively...</ref> after which he and partner Jacques Ménard convinced 11 other Canadian businesses and businessmen—such as [[Bell Canada]], [[Desjardins Group]], the [[Jean Coutu Group]] and [[Loblaw Companies]]—to buy minority stakes. The sale was completed on November 29, 1990.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=251, 353}}</ref> However, many of the investors Brochu cajoled into joining the partnership made it clear that they considered their investments to be the equivalent of charitable donations, and were not interested in providing additional funding.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 4; They would never be prepared to put more money in the pot. So don't ask.</ref>

With a new ownership group in place, the Expos traded Tim Raines to the [[Chicago White Sox]] in a five-player deal.<ref name="Raines-stats">{{citation |title=Tim Raines statistics |author=Sports Reference, Inc. |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/raineti01.shtml |access-date=2007-10-29 |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210025645/http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/raineti01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
General manager [[David Dombrowski]] fired manager [[Buck Rodgers]], who had managed the team since 1985, after the team started the 1991 season with a 20–29 record,<ref>{{citation |title=Buck Rodgers Managerial Record |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/rodgebu01.shtml |access-date=2007-09-01 |archive-date=June 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623023305/http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/rodgebu01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> replacing him with [[Tom Runnells]].<ref>{{citation |title=Tom Runnells Managerial Record |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/runneto01.shtml |access-date=2007-09-01 |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708163513/http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/runneto01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[Mark Gardner (baseball)|Mark Gardner]] pitched nine no-hit innings in a July 26, {{baseball year|1991}} game before losing 1–0 in the 10th inning to the Los Angeles Dodgers.<ref>{{Citation |title=Gardner's 9-inning no-hitter really isn't |work=Toronto Star |date=1991-07-28 |page=G3}}</ref> Two days later, also in Los Angeles, [[Dennis Martínez]] achieved a rare feat, throwing the [[Dennis Martínez's perfect game|13th official perfect game]] in Major League Baseball history (based on MLB's 1991 redefinition of a [[Perfect game (baseball)|perfect game]]), winning 2–0.<ref name="MartinezPerfectGame">{{Citation |last=Twersky |first=Ron |title=PERFECTION: Veteran Montreal Expos' pitcher Dennis Martínez hurls major league's 15th perfect game |work=Vancouver Sun |date=1991-07-29 |page=D1}}</ref> Dave Van Horne's iconic call of "El Presidente, El Perfecto!" following the final out became a hallmark of Expos lore.<ref>{{citation |last=Keri |first=Jonah |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/el-presidente-el-perfecto-seared-into-expos-fans-minds/article17626074/ |title='El Presidente, El Perfecto!' seared into Expos fans' minds |work=The Globe and Mail |date=2014-03-21 |access-date=2015-06-19 |archive-date=April 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423055409/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/el-presidente-el-perfecto-seared-into-expos-fans-minds/article17626074/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Martinez's catcher, [[Ron Hassey]], also caught [[Len Barker's perfect game]] ten years earlier and remains the only player to catch two perfect games in MLB history.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 4; For one thing, Martinez's achievement was not Hassey's first perfect game behind the plate.</ref> The euphoria of the pitching feats did not last, as the Expos were rendered homeless for the final month of the season after a 50-ton beam collapsed from Olympic Stadium's structure and fell nine metres onto a public concourse hours before a [[motocross]] event on September 13.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Block |first1=Irwin |last2=Baker |first2=Geoff |title=Stadium closed after beam falls; All events cancelled while team of experts conducts safety tests |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1991-09-14 |page=A1}}</ref> The Expos hinted that they would have to open the 1992 season elsewhere unless Olympic Stadium was certified safe. While the stadium itself was given a clean bill of health by engineers in November, it took longer to get one for the roof since it had been badly ripped in a June windstorm. Ultimately, it was decided to keep the roof closed at all times; it had only been opened 88 times in a little more than four years and could not be used in winds greater than 25 mph.<ref name=SABROlympicStadium/>

The Expos finished 1991 with a 71–90 record, sixth in the NL East, and drew fewer than one million fans for the first time since 1976.<ref name="2004MG6">{{harvnb|Dever|Giroux|2004|p=6}}</ref> However, the foundation of the Expos' future was establishing their places in MLB: [[Larry Walker]], [[Marquis Grissom]] and [[Delino DeShields]] had made their debuts the season prior,<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=252}}</ref> and the team acquired [[Moisés Alou]] in a trade with Pittsburgh.<ref>{{citation |title=Bucs acquire Smith in deal with Expos |work=Toronto Star |date=1990-08-09 |page=B2}}</ref> Moises' father [[Felipe Alou|Felipe]], who had been a long time employee of the Expos, was promoted to manager during the {{mlby|1992}} season and became the first native of the Dominican Republic to manage a Major League Baseball team.<ref>{{citation |title=Expos fire Runnells and hire Alou |work=Windsor Star |date=1992-05-23 |page=B2}}</ref> In {{mlby|1993}}, DeShields was sent to Los Angeles in exchange for [[Pedro Martínez]]; the deal was initially pilloried by the ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'' and other local publications as a move designed to save money rather than improve the ball club.<ref name="JohnsonMartinezRetrospective" /><ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 7; "For a matter of money, the Expos sacrificed Delino DeShields and obtained Pedro Martínez..."</ref> Nonetheless, the Expos improved on the field; they won 87 games in 1992, 94 in 1993 and finished second in the NL East both seasons.<ref name="2004MG6" />

===1994 and the players' strike===
{{Quote box| quote ="Most of my career, you'd go to the park that night, and hope you were going to win it. In '94, we pretty much knew were going to win it. Losing wasn't part of the equation. After the [All-Star] break, we played the Braves and beat 'em again. I remember leaving Atlanta, and we were just laughing. Like, 'This is our competition?!'"|align=right |width=30%|source=—Larry Walker's retrospective of the 1994 Expos.<ref name="Keri307">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=307}}</ref>}}
The Expos were recognized as having a strong team entering the {{mlby|1994}} season, but their hopes of winning the division were significantly impacted by realignment, as the three-time defending West Division champion [[Atlanta Braves]] were shifted to the East.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=297}}</ref> Atlanta opened the season with 13 wins in 14 games, and quickly opened up an {{frac|8|1|2}}-game lead on Montreal.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=298}}</ref> By late June, the Expos had moved to {{frac|2|1|2}} games back when they hosted the Braves. Montreal won two out of three games in the series, including a late-game victory in the opener over future-Hall-of-Fame pitcher [[Greg Maddux]] that the players viewed as the turning point of their season.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=304}}</ref> Montreal then embarked on a west coast road trip in which they won the final five games and entered the All-Star break in first place.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=306}}</ref> The Expos pulled away from the Braves after the break; between July 18 and August 11, Montreal won 20 games and lost only three.<ref name="Keri307" /> For the second time in team history, five players were named all-stars: [[Moisés Alou]], [[Wil Cordero]], [[Darrin Fletcher]], [[Marquis Grissom]] and [[Ken Hill (baseball)|Ken Hill]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 5; All-Star Game Trivia</ref>

An offense led by Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou, [[Larry Walker]] and Wil Cordero scored more than 5 runs per game. With a record of 74–40, on pace for a 106-win season as the pitching staff with [[Butch Henry]], [[Ken Hill (baseball)|Ken Hill]], [[Jeff Fassero]] and a young [[Pedro Martinez]] put up the National League's best ERA. The Expos had the best record in baseball on the morning of August 12, when MLB's players [[1994–95 Major League Baseball strike|went on strike]].<ref>{{citation |last=Blair |first=Jeff |title=Strike grounds high-flying Expos; Baseball's best team joins others on sidelines |work=Montreal Gazette |date=1994-08-12 |page=A1}}</ref> The season began without a collective bargaining agreement as MLB's owners could not agree on how to share revenue between teams. Many teams were unwilling to agree to revenue sharing unless a [[salary cap]] was put in place, something which the [[Major League Baseball Players' Association]] (MLBPA) adamantly opposed. Unable to come to an agreement, the owners attempted to unilaterally force their system into effect, prompting the players to walk out. Most of the players believed they would be back on the field by Labour Day (celebrated on the same date in the U.S. as Labor Day) at the latest.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=308}}</ref> On September 14, following a month of fruitless negotiations, the remainder of the season was cancelled.<ref>{{citation |last=Keyser |first=Tom |title=Sorry about your Expos: Baseball fans hit by the end of the World ... Series |work=Calgary Herald |date=1994-09-15 |page=A1}}</ref> The franchise would never reach the playoffs as the Expos again.

From Brochu's perspective, a salary cap was not a major concern for the Expos as they could not afford to spend the maximum value of any negotiated cap. But when the strike ended eight months later, by the order of United States federal judge [[Sonia Sotomayor]], the failure to implement strong revenue sharing was a major blow to the Expos.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 8; We weren't much affected by the question of a salary cap...</ref> The team had already built a reputation as a penny-pinching organization (Larry Walker once complained in the media that the team asked the players to buy their own vitamins),<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=285}}</ref> with the second-lowest payroll in MLB in 1994.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=309}}</ref> Following the strike, the team initiated a [[fire sale]] of players: [[Ken Hill (baseball)|Ken Hill]], [[John Wetteland]] and Marquis Grissom were traded while Larry Walker was allowed to leave as a free agent. Moisés Alou, Pedro Martínez and [[Mel Rojas]] would eventually follow.<ref name="CBS1994Retrospective">{{citation |last=Snyder |first=Matt |url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24656202/what-if-the-expos-won-the-1994-world-series |title=1994 MLB Strike Anniversary: What if the Expos won the 1994 World Series? |work=CBS Sports |date=2014-08-11 |access-date=2015-06-20 |archive-date=September 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928224333/http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24656202/what-if-the-expos-won-the-1994-world-series |url-status=dead }}</ref> In his book, ''My Turn At Bat'', Brochu argued that the fire sale was the only viable option, since his partners in the ownership group were not interested in financing the team's losses. Brochu estimated that had he tried to keep the 1994 team together, the Expos would have lost $25 million in 1995, which would have pushed the franchise to the edge of bankruptcy. He claimed that he would have certainly kept Hill, Wetteland, Grissom and Walker had the partners been willing to put up the money necessary to keep them in Montreal.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 8; Had I kept all the players from the 1994 team, we would have lost $25 million in 1995...</ref> When Brochu told general manager [[Kevin Malone (baseball)|Kevin Malone]] that Hill, Wetteland, Grissom and Walker all had to go, Malone tried to persuade Brochu to keep at least one of them. It was to no avail; Brochu told Malone that they all had to be off the roster by the deadline for salary arbitration—even though this made it all but impossible to get any leverage in possible deals. As a result, the Expos got almost nothing in return.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=314–315}}</ref>

===Decline (1995–2000)===
The strike and ensuing fire sale left fans in Montreal livid.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=311–312}}</ref> The Expos finished last in the NL East in {{mlby|1995}}, and average game attendance fell by nearly 26%, from 24,543 to 18,189. Interest in the Expos continued to decline in the years that followed;<ref name="CBS1994Retrospective" /> they would never average more than 20,000 fans per game in a season again during their tenure in Montreal.<ref name="TBT">{{cite book |title=The Team-by-Team Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball |last=Purdy |first=Dennis |year=2006 |publisher=Workman Publishing|location=New York City |isbn=0-7611-3943-5 |pages=1140 }}</ref> While noting the Atlanta Braves went on to win 11 consecutive NL East titles following the strike, [[Jonah Keri]] expressed the viewpoint of the fans as it related to Brochu and the team's owners: "Expos fans couldn't help but wonder if that could have been ''them'' celebrating every year ... had Brochu convinced the team's cheapskate owners to spend a few damn dollars, or taken a leap of faith that short-term financial pain would lead to long-term success."<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=321}}</ref> The media, meanwhile, had taken to calling the Expos a "[[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A team]]" as the team seemed to enter a period where they would develop players only to move them on to other organizations.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 9; They often described the Expos as a Triple-A team incapable of keeping its best players.</ref>

In spite of a sharp decline in attendance, Brochu claimed the Expos turned a small profit in 1995. While ticket sales increased in other markets in the seasons following the strike, though, Montreal's fan base continued to erode.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 9; Elsewhere in baseball, season-ticket sales increased in 1995 and 1996; the opposite occurred in Montreal.</ref> Even with the loss of most of their best players, the Expos were competitive in {{mlby|1996}}, achieving second place in the NL East with an 88–74 record. The team fared poorly in the following five seasons, however, finishing with a losing record in each year and no higher than fourth in the division.<ref name="2004MG6" /> Individually, Pedro Martínez became the first native of the Dominican Republic—and only Expo—to win the National League [[Cy Young Award]]. He won the award in {{mlby|1997}} after recording an 18–7 record with an [[earned run average]] (ERA) of 1.90.<ref>{{citation |last=Beacon |first=Bill |title=Martinez wins Cy Young Award: Pitcher is first Expo to win the award |work=Kingston Whig-Standard |date=1997-11-12 |page=21}}</ref> One week after he was announced as the NL Cy Young winner, Martínez was traded to the [[Boston Red Sox]] as part of another salary purge.<ref>{{citation |title=Expos trade Martinez, Lansing |work=Saskatoon Star-Phoenix |date=1997-11-19 |page=B1}}</ref>

As the 1990s wore on, interest in the Expos dwindled to the point that they were barely part of Montreal's sports landscape. Alou recalled in the latter part of the decade, an old friend of his who owned a team in the Dominican Republic came to Montreal for a visit and couldn't find any downtown store that sold Expos caps, nor did he see anyone wearing an Expos cap during his weeklong stay in the city. When he took a taxi to a game at Olympic Stadium, the driver couldn't find the entrance, and there were no signs anywhere touting games. According to Alou's friend, with such lackluster marketing, it was no surprise that the Expos couldn't attract any fans.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=333}}</ref> Keri later wrote that the Expos would not have been in this position had a better-financed "champion" with the resources and the patience to shepherd the team through the 1990s bought the team.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=377}}</ref>

Brochu attempted to convince his partners that the only long-term solution to keep the Expos in Montreal was to replace Olympic Stadium. In addition to being poorly located—far from population centres, restaurants, and bars—fans perceived it as cavernous and unsafe. Additionally, free agents were letting it be known they were not willing to play for the Expos because of Olympic Stadium's poor playing conditions.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=334–335}}</ref> A proposed 35,000-seat downtown facility, to be called Labatt Park, was announced in 1997 with a budgeted cost of $250 million and an anticipated opening date of 2001. It would have been a retro-classic park with a facade reminiscent of historic [[Bonaventure Station (1887–1952)|Bonaventure Station]]. According to a [[Montreal Gazette]] editorial supporting the new park, Brochu's threat to move the team unless Olympic Stadium was replaced was "simple logic". Brochu sought $150 million in funding from the provincial government, but [[Premier of Quebec|Premier]] [[Lucien Bouchard]] refused, saying he could not authorize public funding for a stadium when the province was being forced to close hospitals and had still not paid the Olympic Stadium debt.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=336–337}}</ref> Many members of the consortium instead favoured selling the team.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 9; Only one of the consortium members supported the solution I'd put forth to move the team to a new downtown stadium.</ref> Hoping to pressure a sale, some members began to feed anonymous tips to the French press to make internal discord between Brochu and his partners public.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=334}}</ref> Attendance continued to fall, decreasing by 39 percent in {{mlby|1998}} to an average of 11,295 spectators per game.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=335}}</ref> It was the first of five consecutive seasons in which Montreal drew fewer than one million fans.<ref name="2004MG6" /> One of the few bright spots of this time was the blossoming of [[Vladimir Guerrero]] into a star; he made four consecutive All-Star Games from 1999 to 2002, each time as the Expos' sole representative. Guerrero would eventually be elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2018.

By 1999, the partners publicly began to question Brochu's fitness to lead the organization and he was criticized by the media.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 19; The headline from colleague Yvon Pedneault's article was even more virulent: "A con! From a majority partner who was hungry, manipulative, dangerous."</ref> Brochu was also accused of having a secret deal with MLB commissioner [[Bud Selig]] to relocate the Expos to [[Washington, D. C.]], charges he denied in a spring press conference held to answer the accusations of his partners.<ref>{{harvtxt|Brochu|Myles|2003}} Ch. 20; Still in Jupiter, I convened the media for a press conference that would be broadcast via satellite back to Montreal.</ref> Brochu's rebuttals fell on deaf ears as fans sided with the consortium's smear campaign against Brochu.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=344}}</ref> He was ultimately replaced as managing general partner by American art dealer [[Jeffrey Loria]], who was initially hailed as the franchise's saviour.<ref>{{citation |last=Jones |first=Chris |title='The fulfillment of a dream': New Yorker Jeffrey Loria aims to shed his low profile and restore the Montreal Expos to prominence |work=The National Post |date=1999-12-10 |page=B15}}</ref> Loria had originally bid for the team in 1991, but Brochu and Ménard had balked at his demand for controlling interest.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=251}}</ref>

===Failed contraction and relocation (2001–2004)===
[[File:Omar Minaya.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Omar Minaya was the first Latin American-born general manager in MLB history.|alt=Close-up view of Minaya as he stands on the field.]]
When Loria took control, he let it be known that Brochu's low-budget approach—or as he called it, "business as usual"—was over.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=345}}</ref> He promised to rebuild the Expos with "a winning attitude and winning players" in an effort to bring the team back to where it had been only six years earlier.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/26/sports/baseball-notebook-new-montreal-owner-is-swinging-with-his-checkbook.html|title=New Montreal Owner Is Swinging With His Checkbook|last=Chass|first=Murray|work=The New York Times|date=1999-12-26|access-date=February 19, 2017|archive-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919092345/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/26/sports/baseball-notebook-new-montreal-owner-is-swinging-with-his-checkbook.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To that end, he drafted a new partnership agreement that gave him the right to call for cash investments in exchange for team equity—an option that had been unavailable to Brochu. Most of the minority partners, though, continued to treat their participation as a public-relations gesture and remained uninterested in investing additional money. When Loria issued a cash call in May 2000, the only other partners to increase their contributions were Coutu, Loblaw, and Stephen Bronfman. Rather than contribute more money, the minority partners proposed trading Guerrero. Loria instantly vetoed this suggestion.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=353–354}}</ref>

As Loria increased his own financial contribution over the next two years, most of the other partners failed to do likewise, which resulted in Loria raising his share in the franchise to 92 percent.<ref name="CashCalls">{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 52; Unlike Claude Brochu, Loria had no 'cash-call' restrictions built into his agreement with the consortium and during his short tenure never hesitated to take advantage of that right.</ref><ref name="IwasFooled">{{citation |last=Ross |first=Matthew |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/mlb/i-was-fooled-by-jeffrey-loria-former-expos-owner |title='I was fooled' by Jeffrey Loria: former Expos owner |work=The National Post |date=2011-08-18 |access-date=2015-07-24}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=362–363}}</ref> Speaking in retrospect, one of the minority partners, Mark Routtenberg, said that he was both "fooled" and "used" by Loria, and called him a [[carpetbagger]].<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 52; "He used me. Once he had taken possession, I ceased to be important to him. To his face I would now call him a [[carpetbagger]]."</ref>

The team payroll for 2000 increased to $33 million, nearly double the $17.9 million from the previous season. However, Loria's options for rebuilding the team were somewhat limited. Even with the team's renewed willingness to spend more on talent, most elite players were reluctant to play in Montreal, given the franchise's uncertain future and Olympic Stadium's poor playing conditions. As a result, most of the increased payroll came from the signings of free agent pitchers [[Graeme Lloyd]] and [[Hideki Irabu]], as well as a three-way trade with the Rangers and Blue Jays that brought Rangers first baseman [[Lee Stevens]] to Montreal. These moves failed to translate into on-field success: Lloyd missed the entire season due to [[arthroscopic surgery]], Irabu posted a 7.24 ERA, and Stevens only batted .265. The Expos lost 95 games. Interest in the team continued to decline, as both fans and businesses were unwilling to lend their support to a noncompetitive team.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=345–348}}</ref>

Loria continued to pursue the construction of a new ballpark. He sought support from Major League Baseball, the Quebec government, and architectural firm [[Populous (company)|HOK Sport]] for a cheaper and re-designed version of Labatt Park that eschewed the retro-classic concept in favour of a more modern design with curved contours and glass. HOK and MLB both thought Loria's proposed design was structurally unsound. More seriously, although Loria had been led to believe that Ménard had convinced the provincial government to contribute funding, in reality no agreement had been reached.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=349–350}}</ref>

To bolster the team's finances, Loria tried to renegotiate the Expos' broadcasting deals, which were far less valuable than that of any other team. He broke off negotiations with [[The Sports Network]], the largest English-language cable sports network in Canada, when it only offered the Expos $5,000 per game. Even allowing for the Expos' greatly reduced home territory compared to that of the Blue Jays (see below), TSN's offer was still a pittance compared to the $200,000 it paid the Blue Jays at the time. Loria had similar issues with prospective radio partners; the only interested parties would only air Expos games as part of a [[brokered programming|brokerage agreement]] in which the team paid for the airtime. The Alouettes and Canadiens had similar arrangements, which was considered highly unusual for the time.<ref name=Keri351>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=351}}</ref>

Although the team continued its French radio coverage on the Telemedia network—whose flagship, [[CKAC]], had carried the Expos since 1973—the Expos were unable to reach an agreement for English radio broadcasts. This resulted in the end of the Expos' longtime run on [[CINW|CIQC]] (formerly CFCF), which had been the Expos' English radio outlet for all but four years of their existence. No television coverage was available in either language. This left English-speaking fans relying on Internet audiocasts. Local fans accused Loria and his stepson, [[David Samson (baseball)|David Samson]], of sabotage. In truth, though, according to longtime Montreal sportscaster [[Mitch Melnick]], there was no anglophone radio for the 2000 season "because nobody wanted to pay for it."<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=352}}</ref> Years later, Samson said that he had initially hoped that if the Expos got off to a hot start, local broadcasters would initiate new negotiations, but further discussions never materialized.<ref name=Keri351/> [[Dave Van Horne]], the team's English-language play-by-play announcer since the team's inception, left at the season's end to work for the [[Florida Marlins]].<ref name="Internet-broadcast">{{Citation
 | last = Shea
 | first = Stuart
 | title = Calling the Game: Baseball Broadcasting from 1920 to the Present
 | place = Phoenix, Arizona
 | publisher = The Society for American Baseball Research
 | year = 2015
 | page = 350
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=p5QcCgAAQBAJ&q=expos+baseball+first+MLB+internet+broadcast+2000&pg=PA350
 | isbn = 978-1-933599-40-3
}}</ref>

In {{mlby|2001}}, the Expos drew only 642,748 fans, one of the smallest totals in MLB in decades.<ref name="2004MG6" /><ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=363}}</ref> The minority partners, whose interest was now reduced to a combined seven percent, became convinced that Loria had planned his moves to force them out. When pleas to Selig and MLB officials fell on deaf ears, the group became convinced that Selig and Loria had conspired to force the Expos out of Montreal.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=363–364}}</ref> At the same time, MLB took steps to vote on [[2001 Major League Baseball contraction plan|contraction of the leagues]], with the Expos and the [[Minnesota Twins]] slated for elimination.<ref>{{citation |last=Myles |first=Stephanie |title=Baseball owners could decide fate of Expos today |work=The National Post |date=2001-11-27 |page=A17}}</ref> On November 6, 2001, MLB's owners voted 28–2 in favour of contraction, with only the Expos and Twins opposed.<ref name="Keri 2014 364">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=364}}</ref> Initial plans called for the Expos and Twins to play a lame-duck season in {{mlby|2002}} before their franchises were revoked. Both teams were saved following a legal challenge filed in Minnesota that forced MLB to honour the Twins' lease with the [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome|Metrodome]], as well as challenges by the MLBPA.<ref>{{citation |title=Expos, Twins remain in MLB lineup -- for now |work=Welland Tribune |date=2002-02-06 |page=B1}}</ref> As MLB was unable to find another candidate team to eliminate, the immediate threat for the Expos diminished, as MLB needed to keep an even number of teams to maintain its schedule.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=371}}</ref>

Shortly afterward, Loria sold the Expos to MLB and used the money he received from the sale to purchase the [[Florida Marlins]] from [[John W. Henry|John Henry]], who had recently purchased the Boston Red Sox.<ref name="IwasFooled" /> As a result of the transaction, Loria turned a significant profit on his initial $16 million investment—MLB bought the Expos from him for $120 million and gave him a $38.5 million interest free loan to complete the purchase of the Marlins.<ref name="Keri 2014 364"/> Following the sale, Loria took virtually everything of value with him to Miami, including the Expos' computers and scouting reports.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 53; When Loria made the move to Miami he took with him everything he could get his hands on...</ref> His departure also marked the final end of the proposed Labatt Park, though any realistic chance of the park being built ended when the Bouchard government repeated its previous refusal to commit any public money to the project.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 55; He surrendered the Labatt Park project to condominium builders...</ref>

MLB formed Expos Baseball L.P., a partnership of the other 29 clubs, to operate the team. It appointed former [[Anaheim Angels]] president [[Tony Tavares]] as team president to oversee business operations and oversee a future move of the team,<ref name="League-owned-teams">{{cite web | last1 = King | first1 = Bill | last2 = Lombardo | first2 = John | title = League-owned teams = headache | publisher = American City Business Journals | date = February 20, 2012 | url = http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/02/20/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Ownership.aspx | access-date = May 4, 2015 | archive-date = September 24, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130301/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/02/20/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Ownership.aspx | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="security">{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-stars/headlines/20110119-stars-interim-president-tony-tavares-has-job-no-security.ece|title=Stars interim president Tony Tavares has job, no security|first=Mike|last=Heika|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|access-date=April 23, 2015|archive-date=May 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505040738/http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-stars/headlines/20110119-stars-interim-president-tony-tavares-has-job-no-security.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> and Mets assistant general manager [[Omar Minaya]] as vice-president, general manager and operating head of the franchise.<ref name="League-owned-teams"/> MLB's chief disciplinarian [[Frank Robinson]] was appointed as the team's [[Manager (baseball)|manager]].

Minaya, the first Latino general manager in baseball history, inherited a difficult situation. He was hired only 72 hours before the start of [[spring training]], and there were only six other employees in baseball operations; most of the others had either followed Loria to the Marlins or taken jobs with other clubs.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=367}}</ref> As the Expos began what many assumed at the time to be their final season in [[2002 Montreal Expos season|2002]], the mood in the Olympic Stadium for the home opener—a victory over the Marlins—was ugly. Montreal's home opener drew 34,000 fans, many of which came not only to say "goodbye" to the franchise, but also to express their disgust and anger at Loria.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 54; "An unruly mob of 34,351, thousands of whom were intent on expressing just how angry they were at former owner Jeffrey Loria..."</ref>

Loria's minority partners, who had gone from collectively owning 76 percent of the Expos to less than seven percent of the Marlins, filed a [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]] (RICO) lawsuit against Major League Baseball, Selig and Loria. The partners contended that Loria and the commissioner's office had conspired to deprive them of their shares by issuing cash calls, and thus deliberately undermined the franchise's future in Montreal.<ref>{{citation |last1=Madden |first1=Bill |last2=O'Keefe |first2=Michael |title=Lawsuit targets Loria, Selig: Former Expos' minority partners allege they were bilked |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=2002-07-16 |page=B1}}</ref> The partners were ultimately unsuccessful in their suit, as it was dismissed in 2005 after an arbitration panel rejected their claims.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-105347751.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224235225/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-105347751.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-02-24 |title=Baseball notes |work=The Record |location=Bergen County, New Jersey |date=2005-02-12 |access-date=2015-07-24}}</ref>

On the field, the 2002 Expos exceeded expectations and were in playoff contention for much of the season. As they were owned by the other teams, including their direct competitors, the Expos did not have any flexibility to increase their payroll for a last-ditch postseason drive.<ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=370}}</ref> Operating under the belief that the Expos were playing their last season in Montreal, Minaya completed a blockbuster trade with the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] in late June to make a final run at bringing postseason success to the city, acquiring [[Bartolo Colón]], one of baseball's top pitchers, in exchange for several star prospects and without increasing payroll. Remembering how the [[Seattle Mariners]] had revived a stalled bid for what became [[Safeco Field]] with a playoff run in 1995, Minaya believed that if the Expos made the playoffs, the renewed public and private sector support would lead to a viable owner stepping forward who would keep the team in Montreal.<ref name="Keri 2014 371-372">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|pp=371–372}}</ref> Minaya made several smaller moves, but the team lost its early-season momentum; they went seven games under .500 in July and August. The Expos finished with an 83–79 record—their first winning season since 1996—but finished second in the NL East, 19 games out of both the division lead and the wild card.<ref name="Keri 2014 371-372"/>

The Expos franchise was saved by a new collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players that forbade contraction until at least 2006. Speculation of contraction was replaced by rumours of relocation, as it was obvious MLB did not intend to keep the team in Montreal.<ref>{{citation |last=Beacon |first=Bill |title=Expos saved, but will they stay? |work=St. John's Telegraph |date=2002-08-31 |page=C1}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=373}}</ref> While MLB was not ready to relocate the Expos right away, in {{mlby|2003}} it sought to increase revenues by having the team play 22 of its 81 home games in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Blum |first=Ronald |title=San Juan to host 22 Expos games: Move necessary to bail out struggling team |work=Brantford Expositor |date=2002-11-21 |page=B4}}</ref> The Expos again found themselves in contention for the playoffs: on August 29, the team was tied with four other clubs for the National League Wild Card spot.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 55; As of the morning of August 29, the Expos found themselves in a five-way tie for the wild card position.</ref> When MLB's rosters expanded on September 1, Selig announced that the Expos would not be recalling any additional players from the minor leagues: the other owners had decided against spending a few extra thousand dollars, a small fraction of the team's $35 million payroll, to bolster the team.<ref>{{harvtxt|Gallagher|Young|2013}} Ch. 55; ...all owners of other teams, including the Marlins, concluded that there were not sufficient resources to warrant spending an extra $50,000 for the Expos to call up players from the minor leagues.</ref> Several players, including relief pitcher [[Eric Knott]], were sent back to the minors due to budget constraints. The team faded again, finishing 18 games out of first in the East and eight games out of the wild card spot.<ref name="Keri376">{{harvnb|Keri|2014|p=376}}</ref> Later, Minaya said that the denial of the September call-ups was "a message to the players" and "a momentum killer".<ref name="WashingtonPost-Minaya">{{cite news | title = Minaya Laid Foundation For Success | last = Carpenter | first = Les | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070301106.html | date = 2005-04-04 | access-date = 2008-05-11 | newspaper = The Washington Post | archive-date = October 30, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171030161432/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070301106.html | url-status = live }}</ref> Keri later wrote that MLB's refusal to authorize the September call-ups eroded what goodwill the Expos still had among the Montreal fanbase. After the season, Guerrero was lost to free agency, while staff ace [[Javier Vázquez (baseball)|Javier Vázquez]] was traded to the Yankees.<ref name="Keri376"/>

The final season of the Montreal Expos came in {{mlby|2004}}, and was again split between Montreal and San Juan.<ref name="Keri376" /> The team never recovered from an April win–loss record of 5–19, and finished the season with a 67–95 record, the second-worst record in the National League. On September 29, 2004, Major League Baseball announced that the franchise would relocate to Washington, D.C., for the {{mlby|2005}} season.<ref name="MLBSelectsDCForExpos" /> That same night, the team played its final game in Montreal: a 9–1 loss to the Florida Marlins before 31,395 fans.<ref>{{citation |title=Montreal Expos: 1969–2004; Team officially on the move to Washington |work=Kitchener Record |date=2004-09-30 |page=D1}}</ref> The team then played its final games as the Expos on the road, ending on October 3 against the New York Mets, the team they had faced in the franchise's inaugural game in 1969.<ref name="LastGame">{{citation |title=Expos' era ends where it started: Montreal won its inaugural game at Shea 35 years ago |work=Chatham Daily News |date=2004-10-04 |page=12}}</ref> In the Expos' last-ever game, the [[New York Mets]] defeated Montreal 8–1 at [[Shea Stadium]]. [[Jamey Carroll]] scored the last Expos run and [[Endy Chávez]] became the final Expos batter in history when he grounded out in the top of the ninth to end the game. The team ended their 36-year run with an all-time record of 2,753 wins, 2,943 losses and four ties.<ref name="LastGame" />

The last active former Montreal Expos player in the major leagues was [[Bartolo Colón]], who played his last MLB game with the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] in 2018.

The Nationals won the [[2019 World Series]], the franchise's first title in its 51 seasons, under manager [[Dave Martinez]], who had played with the Expos from 1988 to 1991.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elliott |first1=Josh |title=Montreal Expos fans claim shaky piece of Nationals' World Series win |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6106996/montreal-expos-world-series-washington-nationals/ |access-date=20 April 2021 |work=Global News |date=31 October 2019 |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103200019/https://globalnews.ca/news/6106996/montreal-expos-world-series-washington-nationals/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Wide image|Le Stade Olympique1.jpg|800|Panoramic view taken prior to an Expos game at Olympic Stadium in 2004.|alt=A sparse crowd watches during pre-game warmups.}}