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Old 12-31-2013, 01:51 AM   #1
echopapa
Minors (Rookie Ball)
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 46
MLB Teams that Almost Were

This thread is to discuss relocations and expansion teams that nearly happened, and to create OOTP files for them.
1. St. Louis Browns to Los Angeles (1941)
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce began courting a major league team in 1941, when they reached a primary agreement for the St. Louis Browns to move to LA for the 1942 season. The Browns would purchase and play in Wrigley Field (the same one the Angels used in 1962). The AL hadn't signed off on the deal yet when it was cancelled due to the war. We don't know if the Browns would've changed their name (probably to the Angels). A picture of a plan to expand LA's Wrigley Field can be found here: StadiumPage.com - 1957 LA Wrigley Field Expansion Concept
2. Boston Braves to Baltimore (1949)
Braves owner Lou Perini was determined to move his team by the end of WWII. He negotiated with Baltimore before deciding on Milwaukee. Memorial Stadium would open in 1950, just in time to host the Braves (Orioles?) opening season.
3. St. Louis Cardinals to Milwaukee (1950)
Cardinals owner Fred Saigh faced financial problems and prepared to sell his team. He received a bid from investors in Milwaukee, but the National League disapproved because Perini was planning to move the Braves there. County Stadium wouldn't be ready until 1953, so it's unclear where the Cardinals would've played until the stadium was complete (Borchert Field was nowhere near MLB standards).
4. St. Louis Cardinals to Houston (1950)
Saigh also received two bids from investors in Houston, and took them very seriously, as the Cardinals already had a strong fan base in Texas. The team probably would've kept the name Cardinals, and played in Buffalo Stadium, as plans were afoot to expand the stadium to 30,655. Gussie Busch bought the Cardinals instead.
5. Washington Senators to Los Angeles (1957)
In September of 1957, Senators owner Calvin Griffith announced that he was conducting a personal survey of cities in California that could host a major league team. Los Angeles offered to build a 50,000 seat stadium.
6. Washington Senators to San Francisco (1957)
San Francisco was the other California city to bid on the Senators, preparing a municipal bond to build a new stadium.
7. Washington Senators to Louisville (1957)
Louisville submitted an unsolicited bid to host the Senators. The team would've played at Fairgrounds Stadium (later Cardinal Stadium).
8. Kansas City Athletics to… virtually everywhere (1960-1967)
When Arthur Johnson bought the Philadelphia A's, he was dead set on moving them to Kansas City, but when Charlie Finley bought the A's, he immediately began looking for new places to play. In 1962, he negotiated with the Dallas-Fort Worth area (unknown where they'd play). He signed an agreement to move the team to Louisville in 1964, where they'd be known as the Kentucky Athletics and play in Fairgrounds Stadium. Finley also looked to Atlanta, Milwaukee (after the Braves left), New Orleans, San Diego, and Seattle before settling on Oakland.
9. Cleveland Indians to Seattle (1964)
Indians owner William R. Daley visited Seattle in 1964 to determine if the city could support an MLB team. He decided against moving upon finding that Sick's Stadium wasn't up to major league standards. Proposed Sick's Stadium expansion here: StadiumPage.com - Sick's Stadium Expansion Concept
10. 1969 Expansion Bids
Kansas City was a sure thing because Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, angry about the A's leaving town, was putting political pressure on MLB to place a new team there. Buffalo, Dallas, Denver, and Toronto also submitted bids. One paper even reported that Buffalo had received the franchise instead of Montreal. If Buffalo had won, Erie County would've built them a dome for baseball and football use. Proposed Denver stadium here: StadiumPage.com - 1967 Denver Stadium Concept Proposed Dallas stadium here: StadiumPage.com - 1968 Turnpike Stadium Expansion Concept Proposed Toronto stadiums here: StadiumPage.com - 1960's Toronto Concepts
11. Chicago White Sox to Milwaukee (1968)
Bud Selig paid White Sox owner Arthur Allyn to host some White Sox games in Milwaukee in 1968 and 1969. Those games drew far more fans than the games at Comiskey Park, and Allyn was prepared to sell the team to Selig when the Pilots' bankruptcy made them an easier target for purchase. Charlie Finley discussed moving the A's to Comiskey Park to leave the void left by the White Sox.
12. San Diego Padres to Washington (1973)
Washington businessman Joseph Danzansky struck a deal to buy the San Diego Padres in 1973 and move them to Washington starting in the 1974 season. The league approved the purchase and the team was ready to move when California politicians intervened, threatening to sue the Padres for breaking their lease and/or use eminent domain to seize the team. Proposed uniforms for the Washington team, as well as more info on the move, available here: San Diego Padres Move to Washington for 1974 Season - Ghosts of DC
13. San Francisco Giants to Toronto (1976)
A consortium of Canadians reached an agreement in principle to buy the San Francisco Giants in 1976 and move them to Toronto in 1977. The team would've kept the name Giants and probably would've played at Exhibition Stadium pending construction of a baseball facility. The deal was blocked by California politicians.
14. Chicago White Sox to Denver (1979) Bill Veeck negotiated with Denver-based investors in 1979 and 1980 to sell and relocate the White Sox before selling to Jerry Reinsdorf in 1981.
15. Oakland A's to New Orleans (1979)
The Louisiana Superdome was designed to host both football and baseball. The Superdome's executives made serious overtures to relocate the A's in 1979, but the cost of breaking the lease at the Oakland Coliseum was too steep.
16. Pittsburgh Pirates to New Orleans (1981) The Superdome tried again with the Pirates in 1981, but talks went nowhere.
17. Chicago White Sox to St. Petersburg (1988)
Construction of the Florida Suncoast Dome (now Tropicana Field) was already underway to host an MLB team in 1988, and Jerry Reinsdorf, fed up with Comiskey Park, demanded the state of Illinois approve a new stadium by June 30, 1988. The bill passed at 11:59pm on June 30 (according to the legislature - journalists reported that the bill actually passed at 12:03am on July 1).
18. San Francisco Giants to St. Petersburg (1992)
Tampa Bay investors planned to purchase the Giants and move them to the Suncoast Dome in 1992, but the deal was blocked at the winter meetings due to objections from Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga.
If you have uniform designs, logos, or stadiums for these teams, or other potential expansion teams or moves, post them here.

Last edited by echopapa; 12-31-2013 at 01:56 AM.
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