Joined the NL in 1969 with the San Diego Padres, as the first Canadian-based team in a major American-based professional sports league (at the time, the National Hockey League was Canadian-based). This round of expansion necessitated the introduction of divisional play.

Reached their height of popularity in the early 1980s, with such stars as Andre Dawson and Gary Carter playing for them. Despite having one of the best farm systems in baseball, their team isn't consistently competitive because it can't afford to sign players due to the weakness of the Canadian dollar and miniscule fan support.

New York art dealer Jeffrey Loria bought the club in 1999 with a pledge to keep the team in Montréal, but found the financial situation even worse than he had feared. After the 2001 season, a rather odd transaction took place: in a deal orchestrated by Major League Baseball offices in New York and Milwaukee, Florida Marlins owner John Henry bought the team he'd really wanted all along, the Boston Red Sox, Loria and his ownership group (including some Québécois minority owners who weren't happy about being dragged along for the ride) purchased the Marlins from Henry, and the Expos group sold the team to Major League Baseball and took the Expos' entire baseball operation (manager, coaches, front office, even scouting reports) with them.

The Expos were expected to be contracted out of existence before or after the 2002 season. Contraction plans mostly fell apart during MLB's collective bargaining agreement negotiation with the players' union during the season, though. MLB lost US$26-28 million on the Expos last year, and general manager Omar Minaya was ordered to cut salary, but keeping the team afloat for another full season in Montreal would still be difficult. Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos has continued to block the best solution to the problem, moving the team to Washington. 2003 will see the Expos playing 21-24 "home" games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but what 2004 will hold is yet unknown.

Les Expos were "Canada's Team" prior to the arrival of the Toronto Blue Jays. They have fans across Canada. Expo fandom, whether overt or concealed, is one of the things that binds Canadians together. In a typically Canadian way, we love them because they're losers - or at least, one of the most snakebitten teams in professional sports.

Twice the Expos have been in a position to challenge for the World Series. And both times, a players' strike has disrupted those chances.

In 1981, the Expos were leading the NL East and looked poised to capture the division title that had only just eluded them in each of the prior two seasons. Then the '81 strike interrupted the season. When play resumed, the Expos were not able to get their rhythm back. The Philadelphia Phillies won the second part of the season. The two teams played a 5 game playoff to decide who would go on to the LCS. The Expos won, but then lost the fifth and deciding game of the championship series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. No pennant, no series.

In 1994, on August 12th, the Expos were 74-40 and six games in front of perennial division leaders, the Atlanta Braves. A team including Larry Walker and John Wetteland made the team one of the strongest in Major League baseball. However, the strike washed out the 1994 season and the playoffs were cancelled. In the off season, the Expos lost a number of important players, including Walker and Wetteland. They have never contended again. The Montréal fans, finally goaded beyond endurance by both the strike and the seeming injustice, began to drift away. The days of 57,000 fans in the "Big Owe" were over.

In the modern era, teams like the Texas Rangers can spend more on one player than the Expos' entire salary budget. The Expos are reduced to being a major league farm team, starting players like Pedro Martinez on their road to glory (Pedro won a Cy Young in Montréal) or rehabilitating the old, injured, and down on their luck.

Montréal fans don't like losing. They continue to support Les Glorieux, but even then, when the Habs lose, fan support dwindles. When the Expos leave town for Washington, D.C. at the end of the 2004 season, it will be their closet fans in Regina and Drumheller and Dildo who feel the loss.