The Expos

Trading Time

Our goal was to attract to Montreal several players who would bolster our side and give some experience, while getting rid of much of the deadwood currently hanging around Stade Olympique.

Catcher Ross Ober was sent to Kansas City in return for veteran outfielder Peter McFater, a member of the Royals' only AL Championship side.

We signed free agent rookie Scott Vanderhoof on a one-year deal. He will replace Sandy Smith on the pine.

Sandy Smith was sent to the Giants. In return we get 1B James Thrower (77) and RP Lucas Kormos (71).

We sent $20,000,000 to the Colorado Rockies, in return for starting pitcher Lucas O'Neill (93/97), a former Expo who we had to release due to salary issues.

Relief pitcher Jeff Reece (86/96) was acquired from the Detroit Tigers, in exchange for catcher Cory Davis and $34,000,000.

A host of marginal prospects were cut completely.

Lambert's final transaction was quite significant, as it unchained the Expos franchise from 45 years of history and underachievement. The new Expos owner built his team a brand new stadium in downtown Montreal, completely bypassing local planning laws (and the laws of common sense and reality!) and providing the Expos with a new 50,000 seat open structure stadium. It was opened on March 1 2023, with the Expos' greatest player, the now-68-year-old Andre Dawson, cutting the ribbon and having the honour of the field being named in his honour - Stade Andre Dawson

2023 Montreal Expos

Line-up
SS Sean Varley
C Stephen Amphlett
CF Shigeuji Sato
LF Ryan Davis
1B James Thrower
RF Peter McFater
2B David Montgomery
3B Jim George

Bench
C Neil Phifer
2B Brad O'Neill
LF Preston Birdsong
LF Scott Vanderhoof
RF Kasey Avery
1B Aaron Mackellachie

Rotation
1. Lucas O'Neal
2. Andreas Coyazo
3. Martin Strauss
4. Jeff Avanessoff
5. Carlos Porraz

Bullpen
Closer - Derek Manning
Setup - Mike Harper
Short - Jeff Reece
Short - Jonathan Twombly
Middle - Shane Grant
Long - Nichloas Walsh

Pre-Season Predicitions
NL East
1. New York (96-66)
2. Philadelphia (90-72)
3. Atlanta (86-76)
4. Florida (76-86)
5. Montreal (54-108)

NL Central - Cincinnati
NL West - Los Angeles
AL East - Baltimore
AL Central - Minnesota
AL West - Los Angeles

American League - Baltimore over Los Angeles
National League - Los Angeles over New York
World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers over Baltimore

April 2023

The new ownership of the Expos was keen to see the club get off to a positive start after their worst ever season. Facing the first two weeks on the road was not the ideal circumstance to start off, but nonetheless the Expos did compete well, going 4-6 before finally playing their first game at the new Stade Andre Dawson. Colorado were the first opponents at the imposing new venue, and would duly go down 4-1.

The month finished with Montreal generally surprising most, going 10-14.

National League East
1. Atlanta (15-9)
2. New York (14-10)
3. Montreal (10-14)
4. Philadelphia (10-14)
5. Florida (7-17)

NL Central - Houston over Chicago (0.5)
NL West - Los Angeles over Arizona (1)
AL East - Boston over Toronto (1)
AL Central - Chicago and Minnesota tied
AL West - Oakland over Texas (1)

Team Leaders
ERA - Lucas O'Neal (1.77)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (2)
Saves - Derek Manning (4)
AVG - David Montgomery (.291)
HR - Shigeuji Sato (4)
SB - Sean Varley (8)

May 2023

The Expos had a horrid time, winning just five games, and none at home.

National League East
1. Atlanta (32-19)
2. New York (29-23)
3. Philadelphia (21-31)
4. Florida (20-31)
5. Montreal (15-37)

NL Central - Houston over Cincinnati (3)
NL West - Los Angeles over San Diego (3.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Toronto (3)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (3)
AL West - Oakland over Los Angeles (2.5)

Team Leaders
ERA - Lucas O'Neal (3.38)
Wins - Carlos Porraz (3)
Saves - Derek Manning (7)
AVG - David Montgomery (.297)
HR - Shigeuji Sato (9)
SB - Sean Varley (9)

June 2023

Montreal selected Nathan Derby with the first overall choice of the draft. The 21-year old pitcher was immediately thrown into the bullpen.

The Expos went 6-20 for the month, including a dismal 0-12 on the road.

Losing is definately a habit, and it seems hard to break.

National League East
1. Atlanta (48-31)
2. New York (41-37)
3. Philadelphia (34-45)
4. Florida (28-50)
5. Montreal (21-57)

NL Central - Houston over Chicago (3.5)
NL West - Los Angeles over San Francisco (4.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Toronto (5)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (6.5)
AL West - Oakland over Los Angeles (2)

Team Leaders
ERA - Lucas O'Neal (3.66)
Wins - Mike Harper (4)
Saves - Derek Manning (11)
AVG - David Montgomergy (.265)
HR - Ryan Davis (12)
SB - Sean Varley (14)

July 2023

Complete crap. 3-24.

August 2023

Even worse. 3-25. Phillies pitcher Michael Wibberley throws a no-hitter against the Expos at Stade Andre Dawson.

September 2023

The season finally finishes - and we went even worse than last time!
36-126!
Sacre bleu!

NL East
1. Atlanta (98-65)
2. New York (97-66)
3. Philadelphia (80-82)
4. Florida (63-99)
5. Montreal (36-126)

NL Central - Chicago (Houston wildcard)
NL West - Los Angeles
AL East - Baltimore
AL Central - Minnesota
AL West - Los Angeles (Oakland wildcard)

Division Series
Oakland d. Baltimore 3-2
Los Angeles Angeles d. Minnesota 3-0
Los Angeles Dodgers d. Houston 3-1
Chicago Cubs d. Atlanta 3-2

Championship Series
Los Angeles Angels d. Oakland 4-1
Los Angeles Dodgers d. Chicago Cubs 4-3

World Series 2023
Los Angeles Angels d. Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2

Big big big changes coming up for Montreal in the off-season

The failure of Montreal to win even 40 games for the second season in succession sharply brought into focus a serious problem that had affected Major League Baseball since day one - parity, or rather, the lack of it.

The unlevel playing field heavily favoured the established franchises in 'major league cities' - the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, Angels and Mets.

A quick glance over the record of various teams quickly told the casual observer just who the haves and have-nots were:

1969 Expansion
Montreal - 6 playoff apperances, 1 league championship
Milwaukee - no playoff apperances
San Diego - 4 playoff apperances
Kansas City - 10 playoff apperances, 1 league championship

1977 Expansion
Seattle - no playoff apperances
Toronto - no playoff apperances

1993 Expansion
Colorado - no playoff apperances
Florida - 2 playoff apperances, 1 league championship

1998 Expansion
Arizona - 4 playoff apperances
Tampa Bay - 2 playoff apperances, 1 league championship, 1 world series win

Of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, eight of them could be considered in serious trouble, on and off the field. The New York Yankees had more cash than the eight poorest MLB franchises.

An emergency meeting of team owners was called on November 1 2023 to discuss the future direction of the competition. The commissioner implored the owners to put the best interests of the competition before their own self interests. The rich teams would always be rich, but something had to be done to help the 'stressed franchises' off the canvas.

The consequences of the meeting would be wide reaching, but no amount of arguing would stop progress.

In summary:

* At the conclusion of the World Series, the four teams with the most cash in each league would be 'taxed' 10% of their total cash reserves, or $40,000,000, whichever was the lesser amount.
* No team could be taxed more than three times in four seasons.
* The total amount taxed would be shared equally amongst the four poorest teams in each league.
* Major League Baseball would match each contribution dollar for dollar.
* Any team that won less than 50 games in the previous season would be given $1,000,000 for each win less than 50 (i.e. 49 wins = 50 - 49 x $1,000,000)
* A special once-off payment would be paid retrospectively for the past ten seasons
* Each team that attracted less than 25,000 fans per home game in the previous season would be given $1,000,000 for every 1000 fans below 25,000.

In announcing the new 'Revenue Sharing Schedule', the Commissioner reminded fans that having this money alone would not automatically turn the likes of Montreal and Milwaukee into contenders overnight. What each team did to their new-found riches was completely up to them.

2023 Revenue Sharing Schedule Summary

Teams taxed
New York Yankees - $36.6m
Atlanta Braves - $26.8m
San Francisco Giants - $26.8m
Chicago White Sox - $22.7m
New York Mets - $20.1m
Toronto Blue Jays - $19.5m
Texas Rangers - $17.7m
Philadelphia Phillies - $16.8m

Teams that received contributions
Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins - $44m
Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins - $48m

Teams that received extra contributions
Average Attendance Below 25,000
Tampa Bay Rays - $8m
Milwaukee Brewers - $8m
Florida Marlins - $3m
Kansas City Royals - $2m

Less than 50 wins in past decade
Milwaukee Brewers - $9m
Montreal Expos - $24m

It remained to be seen what effect - if any - it would have on the standard of the competition in the short term.

Montreal Expos Off Season Report

Attendance - 31,662 per game (250% increase on previous season)
Profit - $4.6m
Cash - $81m (following Revenue Sharing, was previously $10m)
Franchise Value - $338.2m (21st in MLB)
Farm System Rating - A+
Medical Staff Rating - A+
Scouting Staff Rating - A+
Team Payroll/Budget - $45.7m/$55.7m (29th in MLB, ahead of Tampa Bay)

Player Movements
C Stephen Amphlett (84/90) - resigned for $5.5m at Arbitration
1B James Thrower (71) released
SP Andreas Coyazo (82) resigned for $5.9m at Arbitration
3B Jim George (70) released
SP Lucas Kormos (61) released
RP Howie Wideman (67/74) released
2B Jacob Moore (70/73) released

Free Agency
CF Chris Copeland (92) signed for $3.7m/1 year
2B Josh Hollic (88) signed for $2.2m/1 year
RP Josh Huffmann (79) signed for $1.5m/1 year
SP Tony Battersby (89) signed for $16.8m/4 years

Trades
Montreal gets - 1B Scot McAnich (86/93)
Minnesota gets - 2B Jeffery Truswell (79/86), SP Todd Cook (55/94), SS Sean Varley (77/83) and $10,000,000

Montreal gets - SP Toby Fisher (88)
Kansas City gets - RP Brandon Lowe (58/90), SP Bradley Whittey (61/94), SP Spencer Driscoll (55/94), SP Jim Parker (73/95) and $9,000,000

Montreal gets - SP Travis Clarkson (81/95)
Cincinnati gets - RF/3B Peter McFater (75), SP Shane Grant (70), RP Mike Harper (77/90) and $21,000,000

Montreal gets - SS/CF Charlie Bennett (78)
Florida gets - 2B Brad O'Neill (74), LF Preston Birdsong (70/77)

Montreal gets - $6,700,000
Cleveland gets - LF Scott Vanderhoof (79)

2024 Montreal Expos
Motto - Win Some Games!

Lineup
SS - Charlie Bennett (78)
C - Stephen Amphlett (84/90)
CF - Shigeuji Sato (93)
RF - Chris Copeland (92)
LF - Ryan Davis (87)
1B - Scot McAnich (86/93)
2B - David Montgomery (84/93)
3B - Seth Birling (75/79)

Bench
C - Neil Phifer (73/79)
2B - Josh Hollick (88)
IF - Ted Christiansen (76/94)
LF - Joseph Kaye (79)
RF - Kasey Avery (73)
1B - Aaron Mackellachie (75)

Rotation
1. Lucas O'Neill (93/94)
2. Tony Battersby (89)
3. Toby Fisher (88)
4. Andreas Coyazo (81)

Bullpen
Mopup - Martin Strauss (79)
Closer - Derek Manning (81)
Setup - Josh Huffmann (79)
Short Relief - Jeff Reece (84/94)
Short Relief - Jonathan Twombly (87/94)
Middle Relief - Jeff Avanessoff (78)
Long Relief - Nathan Derby (84/94)

2024 Predicitions

NL East
1. New York (92-70)
2. Atlanta (92-70) (predicted wildcard)
3. Philadelphia (86-76)
4. Florida (72-90)
5. Montreal (69-93)

NL Central - Houston
NL West - Los Angeles
AL East - Baltimore (New York wildcard)
AL Central - Minnesota
AL West - Los Angeles

National League - Los Angeles over New York
American League - Baltimore over New York
World Series - Baltimore over LA Dodgers

April 2024

"So won't you help me sing
These songs of freedom
For all I ever had
Redemption songs..."

Bob Marley quite possibly did not have the 2024 Montreal Expos on his mind when he wrote the above lines, but it still seemed rather appropriate to the fans who piled into Stade Andre Dawson for the season opener against the Braves on April 4. And their expectations were fully realised with Ryan Davis going 3/4 including two home runs in a 7-3 win. Scott McAnich and David Montgomery also joined the hit parade, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd.

Two days later, Montgomery registered 4 RBIs in a tight 11-10 result against Atlanta. The good form even continued on the road, with the Pirates giving up a series to the fast-starting Expos.

The Mets swiftly brought the Expos back to earth with a sweep at Shea Stadium, although Montreal would win home series against Philadelphia, Florida and San Diego to poke their heads above .500. The month finished with a split series on the road against Philadelphia (won) and Atlanta (lost), and two games against the Mets back at Stade Andre Dawson.

By the end of the month, the 'lukewarm' (they were hardly 'hot') Expos had recorded their first winning month since 2021.

NL East
1. New York (19-5)
2. Atlanta (13-11)
3. Montreal (13-11)
4. Florida (9-15)
5. Philadelphia (9-15)

NL Central - Houston over Chicago (1)
NL West - San Diego and Arizona over San Francisco (0.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Boston (4)
AL Central - Minnesota over Cleveland (3)
AL West - Seattle over Oakland (0.5)

Team Leaders
ERA - Andreas Coyazo (3.63)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (4)
Saves - Derek Manning (7)
AVG - Ryan Davis (.372)
HR - Ryan Davis (13 - leads NL)
SB - Charlie Bennett (4)

May 2024

The month started with engagements on the road in Miami, Houston and Cincinnati, with the Expos faring fairly well, splitting the Marlins 2-2 and sweeping the Reds 3-0.

St Louis and Pittsburgh travelled over the border and duly left Stade Andre Dawson with their tails between their legs, with the fans continuing to turn up in droves to cheer on the 'new' Expos.

The month continued like a dream with series wins against both New York sides on their home turf. With May out of the way, the Expos had nearly exceeded their entire win total from the previous season. More than a few fans were circulating the streets of Montreal with broad, wide grins on their faces - Les Expos - C'est Magnifique! seemed to be the most catching phrase of the day.

NL East
1. New York (34-16)
2. Atlanta (29-22)
3. Montreal (29-22)
4. Philadelphia (25-25)
5. Florida (19-32)

NL Central - Houston over Chicago (1.5)
NL West - San Francisco over Arizona (3)
AL East - Toronto over Baltimore (2)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (6)
AL West - Oakland over Seattle (2.5)

Team Leaders
ERA - Toby Fisher (3.91)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (6)
Saves - Derek Manning (13)
AVG - Ryan Davis (.344)
HR - Ryan Davis (15)
SB - Charlie Bennett (4)

June 2024

Are they for real? That was the question being uttered by many seasoned sportswriters, some of whom could remember the last (and only) time the Expos appeared in the World Series. At the beginning of the month, Montreal shared the wildcard slot with division rivals Atlanta.
The minor matter of the draft was dealt with swiftly, with the Expos choosing pitcher Dave Chantler (81/94) with the first pick.

Arizona and the world champion Dodgers paid their visits to Montreal early in the month, and were quickly followed by Oakland and Cincinnati, with the Expos going 7-5 during this time. The Montreal roadshow packed up and went on to Los Angeles and Dallas to take on the Angels and Rangers in interleague play, and were largely unimpressive, managing just one win.

The wheels continued to wobble, with Florida sweeping the Expos under our roof (or clear blue sky, as it were). They would return the favour back down in South Florida, making up valuable ground in the division race.

On the (much) brighter side, the Expos cracked 40 wins on June 26, already making this their most successful season for three years.

NL East
1. New York (46-32)
2. Atlanta (44-34)
3. Montreal (40-39)
4. Philadelphia (40-39)
5. Florida (34-44)

NL Central - Chicago over Houston (2.5)
NL West - San Francisco over Arizona (6)
NL Wildcard - Houston over Arizona (0.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Toronto (4)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (2.5)
AL West - Seattle over Oakland (1)
AL Wildcard - Oakland over Los Angeles (2.5)

Team Leaders
ERA - Toby Fisher (3.77)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (9)
Saves - Derek Manning (19)
AVG - Chris Copeland (.341)
HR - Ryan Davis (21)
SB - Charlie Bennett (9)

July 2024

With their heads only marginally above water, July would be a decisive month for the Expos. With the majority of their games at home, Montreal were well placed to move up in the wildcard race, and began well by beating the Phillies and fighting a close series against the Cubs.

After the all-star break, the Mets dashed many of the hopes of Expos fans by sweeping the side, although the hapless Colorado Rockies would make up for it in a sweep of their own.

LF/RF Joseph Kaye (78) was sent to the Rockies for relief pitcher Craig Toler (78). Kaye had been largely disappointing in his limited apperances off the bench. The reshuffle of the side saw a change in the pitching roster too, with Dave Shufflebarger (88/95) given the fourth pitching slot. He pitched the Expos to a win against the Brewers in his first start of the new season, thereby bettering his 0-20 mark of 2023.

The month ended with a lost series against the Padres, with Montreal losing every game by a single run in a competitive series.

With a 11-16 month, the season appeared to be over for the Expos, with the team 10 games behind the Diamondbacks in the wildcard race.

NL East
1. New York (62-42)
2. Atlanta (55-50)
3. Philadelphia (51-54)
4. Montreal (51-55)
5. Florida (49-56)

NL Central - Chicago over Houston (5)
NL West - San Francisco over Arizona (8.5)
NL Wildcard - Arizona over Houston (0.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Toronto (3)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (10.5)
AL West - Seattle over Oakland (3)
AL Wildcard - Toronto over Oakland (0.5)

Team Leaders
ERA - Toby Fisher (4.03)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (11)
Saves - Derek Manning (23)
AVG - Chris Copeland (.331)
HR - Chris Copeland (25)
SB - Charlie Bennett (14)

August 2024

With the Olympic Games in Madrid well underway, and baseball reinstated as an Olympic sport for the first time since 2008, several MLB teams faced losing their topline stars for up to three weeks during the heat of a title race. However, this situation was averted when the MLB allowed teams to protect up to 15 players from Olympic duty (just as they would protect players for an expansion draft), despite the strong opposition from Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

On the field, Montreal continued their spluttering start, winning just one of their first six games of the month, before a long roadtrip to four of the competitive NL West clubs.

For the most part, Montreal acquitted themselves extremely well, stealing series wins against San Francisco and Arizona, although they dropped their guard against Los Angeles and Florida.

Stephen Amphlett seperated his shoulder in a collusion at the plate and will miss the next three weeks, giving rookie Tony Paige an opportunity to play at the highest level.

NL East
1. New York (75-58)
2. Philadelphia (69-64)
3. Atlanta (67-66)
4. Florida (65-67)
5. Montreal (61-72)

NL Central - Chicago over Houston (7.5)
NL West - San Francisco over Arizona (10.0)
NL Wildcard - Houston over Arizona (1.5)
AL East - Baltimore over Toronto (6)
AL Central - Minnesota over Detroit (13)
AL West - Seattle over Texas (1)
AL Wildcard - Texas over Toronto (1), New York (1.5) and Los Angeles (2)

Team Leaders
ERA - Lucas O'Neal (3.81)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (13)
Saves - Derek Manning (28)
AVG - Chris Copeland (.312)
HR - Chris Copeland (31)
SB - Charlie Bennett (20)

September-October 2024

The season would go down as a success for the Montreal Expos as they finished the year in fine style, sweeping the Mets and Phillies at home, before taking their brand of baseball on the road and generally performing well, even though the one-run losses hurt deep down inside.

After the final out at Turner Field, the dust had settled on the 2024 season. The Expos had generally confounded the experts and took giant strides back on the road to respectability, winning 74 games - more than the previous two seasons combined.

Team Leaders
ERA - Lucas O'Neal (3.74)
Wins - Lucas O'Neal (14)
Saves - Derek Manning (36)
AVG - Chris Copeland (.307)
HR - Chris Copeland (38)
SB - Charlie Bennett (20)

2024 Standings

NL East
1. New York (90-72)
2. Atlanta (86-76)
3. Philadelphia (85-77)
4. Florida (75-87)
5. Montreal (74-88)

NL Central
1. Chicago (101-61)
2. Houston (94-68)
3. Cincinnati (79-83)
4. St Louis (74-88)
5. Milwaukee (67-95)
6. Pittsburgh (67-95)

NL West
1. San Francisco (102-60)
2. Arizona (89-73)
3. Los Angeles (82-80)
4. San Diego (77-85)
5. Colorado (59-103)

AL East
1. Baltimore (97-65)
2. Toronto (92-70)
3. New York (88-74)
4. Boston (85-77)
5. Tampa Bay (59-103)

AL Central
1. Minnesota (91-71)
2. Cleveland (72-90)
3. Detroit (67-95)
4. Kansas City (61-101)
5. Chicago (61-101)

AL West
1. Texas (96-66)
2. Los Angeles (90-72)
3. Seattle (87-75)
4. Oakland (83-79)

Division Series
Texas d. Toronto 3-1
Baltimore d. Minnesota 3-1
San Francisco d. Houston 3-2
Chicago Cubs d. New York Mets 3-1

League Championship
Texas d. Baltimore 4-0
Chicago Cubs d. San Francisco 4-1

World Series
Chicago Cubs d. Texas 4-3
The Cubs return from 1-3 down in the series to win their first championship since 2015 and their tenth in history