Editing Montreal Expos (section)

==="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>