List of defunct and relocated Major League Baseball teams


Over the history of Major League Baseball, numerous franchises have moved or become defunct. Many played in the National League and the American League, today's two existing major leagues, but other franchises played in one of the 11 major leagues that have gone defunct. The classification of the major leagues is based on Major League Baseball's recognition of historical leagues.
Major league baseball emerged in the 1870s, and four major leagues, including the NL, played at least one season of baseball in the nineteenth century. During this period, dozens of franchises were founded, but most went defunct, leaving just twelve NL franchises by the 1892 season and eight after the 1899 season. In 1901, the American League emerged with several new franchises. The Federal League challenged the AL/NL primacy for two seasons, but went defunct with all of its teams after the 1915 season. Numerous Negro leagues operated during the first half of the twentieth century; seven leagues that operated from 1920 to 1948 were later recognized as major leagues by Major League Baseball.
The most recent NL or AL team to cease operations is the Baltimore Orioles, which went defunct after the 1902 season. The first NL or AL team to move was the Boston Braves, which went to Milwaukee after the 1952 season. Several teams moved over the next twenty years, often to the Southern or Western United States, ending in 1971 when the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers. The next move of any sort came in 2005, when the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals. In 2025, the Oakland Athletics plan to temporarily move to West Sacramento, California, and brand themselves as the "A's" and "Athletics" with no city name attached until they permanently move to Las Vegas in 2028 or later when their new ballpark is completed.

List of defunct and relocated major league franchises since 1892

National, American, and Federal League franchises

These franchises played in the National League, the American League, or the Federal League after the 1891 season and either went defunct or moved. Some franchises appear more than once in the table; for example, the Braves franchise appears twice because they moved to Milwaukee in 1952 and to Atlanta in 1965.
;League
;First
;Last
;Post–change status
;Current status
;P
;WS
;^

Negro major league franchises

In 2020, Major League Baseball extended major league recognition to seven Negro leagues:
The listed years in the table below indicate the first and last years that the franchise played in a major league as recognized by Major League Baseball; many franchises existed before or after playing in a major league. Franchises that played only as associate clubs of a major league are not included. From 1924 to 1927, and from 1942 to 1948, the top Negro leagues crowned a champion through the Negro World Series.
TeamLeagueFirstLastNWS championshipsNWS appearances
Atlanta Black CrackersNSL, NAL1932193900
Bacharach GiantsECL, ANL1923192902
Baltimore Elite GiantsNNL I, NSL, NNL II1930194800
Baltimore Black SoxECL, ANL, EWL, NNL II1923193300
Birmingham Black BaronsNNL I1924194803
Brooklyn EaglesNNL II1935193500
Brooklyn Royal GiantsECL1923192800
Chicago American GiantsNNL I, NSL, NNL II, NAL1920194822
Chicago GiantsNNL I1920192100
Cincinnati TigersNAL1937193700
Cleveland BrownsNNL I1924192400
Cleveland BuckeyesNAL1942194812
Cleveland ElitesNNL I1926192600
Cleveland HornetsNNL I1927192700
Cleveland Red SoxNNL II1934193400
Cleveland StarsEWL1932193200
Cleveland Tate StarsNNL I1922192300
Cleveland TigersNNL I1928192800
Columbus BuckeyesNNL I1921192100
Columbus Blue BirdsNNL II1933193300
Cuban House of DavidEWL1932193200
Cuban Stars (East)ECL, ANL1923192900
Cuban Stars (West)NNL I1920193000
Dayton MarcosNNL I1920192600
Detroit StarsNNL I1920193100
Detroit StarsNAL1937193700
Detroit WolvesEWL1932193200
Harrisburg GiantsECL1924192700
Hilldale ClubECL, ANL, EWL1923193212
Homestead GraysANL, EWL, NNL II1929194835
Jacksonville Red CapsNAL1938194200
Indianapolis ABCsNNL I1920192600
Indianapolis ABCsNNL I, NSL, NNL II1931193300
Indianapolis AthleticsNAL1937193700
Indianapolis ClownsNAL1943194800
Kansas City MonarchsNNL I, NAL1920194824
Lincoln GiantsECL, ANL1923192900
Little Rock GraysNSL1932193200
Louisville Black CapsNNL I, NSL1930193200
Memphis Red SoxNNL I, NSL, NAL1924194800
Milwaukee BearsNNL I1923192300
Monroe MonarchsNSL1932193200
Montgomery Grey SoxNSL1932193200
Newark BrownsEWL1932193200
Newark EaglesNNL II1934194811
Newark StarsECL1926192600
New York Black YankeesNNL II1936194800
New York CubansNNL II1935194811
Philadelphia StarsNNL II1934194800
Pittsburgh CrawfordsNNL II, NAL1933194000
Pittsburgh KeystonesNNL I1922192200
St. Louis StarsNNL I1920193100
St. Louis StarsNAL1937193700
St. Louis–New Orleans StarsNAL, NNL II1938194300
Toledo TigersNNL I1923192300
Washington Black SenatorsNNL II1938193800
Washington PilotsEWL1932193200
Washington PotomacsECL1924192500

List of major league franchises that went defunct before 1892

The franchises in the following list went defunct before the 1892 season, and played in the National League, the American Association, the Players' League, the Union Association, or some combination of the four leagues. The NL has played continuously since 1876, the AA existed from 1882 to 1891, the UA existed for one season in 1884, and the PL operated for one season in 1890. Several franchise names have been used by more than one team.
In 1968–1969, Major League Baseball's Special Records Committee defined the major leagues as consisting of the NA, NL, AA, PL, UA, American League, and Federal League—and not the National Association, which operated from 1871 to 1875. Some baseball writers have argued that the NA should be considered the first major league, but NA franchises are not included below unless they later played in the National League.
TeamLeagueFirstLastPennants
Philadelphia Athletics†NL187618760
New York Mutuals†NL187618760
Hartford Dark Blues†NL187618760
St. Louis Brown Stockings†NL187618770
Louisville GraysNL187618770
Cincinnati RedsNL187618790
Brooklyn HartfordsNL187718770
Milwaukee GraysNL187818780
Indianapolis BluesNL187818780
Providence GraysNL187818852
Syracuse StarsNL187918790
Troy TrojansNL187918820
Cleveland BluesNL187918840
Buffalo BisonsNL187918850
Worcester WorcestersNL188018820
Detroit WolverinesNL188118881
Philadelphia AthleticsAA188218901
Columbus BuckeyesAA188318840
New York MetropolitansAA188318871
Altoona Mountain CitysUA188418840
Baltimore MonumentalsUA188418840
Boston RedsUA188418840
Pittsburgh StogiesUA188418840
Cincinnati Outlaw RedsUA188418840
Indianapolis HoosiersAA188418840
Kansas City CowboysUA188418840
[1884 1884 Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers season|Milwaukee Brewers]UA188418840
Philadelphia KeystonesUA188418840
Richmond VirginiansAA188418840
St. Paul SaintsUA188418840
Toledo Blue StockingsAA188418840
Washington StatesmenAA188418840
Washington NationalsUA188418840
Wilmington QuickstepsUA188418840
St. Louis MaroonsUA/NL188418861
Kansas City CowboysNL188618860
Washington NationalsNL188618890
Indianapolis HoosiersNL188718891
Kansas City CowboysAA188818890
Columbus SolonsAA188918910
Brooklyn GladiatorsAA189018900
Brooklyn Ward's WondersPL189018900
Buffalo BisonsPL189018900
Chicago PiratesPL189018900
Cleveland InfantsPL189018900
New York GiantsPL189018900
Pittsburgh BurghersPL189018900
Rochester BroncosAA189018900
Syracuse StarsAA189018900
Toledo MaumeesAA189018900
Boston RedsPL/AA189018912
Philadelphia AthleticsPL/AA189018910
Cincinnati Kelly's KillersAA189118910
Milwaukee BrewersAA189118910

†Indicates a franchise that played in the National Association before joining the National League

Timelines

Franchise and league timeline

This timeline includes all franchises that played in the AL or NL after 1891; it also shows the eleven historical leagues during the period in which each is considered a major league by Major League Baseball. Only major and recent name changes are marked in blue. Franchise moves are marked in black.


DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1875 till:2033
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:20 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb
id:line value:rgb
id:NL value:rgb # National League franchises
id:AL value:rgb # American League franchises
id:OL value:rgb # Other leagues
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s mark:
bar:1 color:NL from:1876 till:2026 text:Chicago Cubs
bar:2 color:NL from:1876 till:1953 text:Boston Braves
bar:2 color:NL from:1953 till:1966 text:Mil. Braves
bar:2 color:NL from:1966 till:2026 text:Atlanta Braves

bar:3 color:OL from:1882 till:1892 text:American Association
bar:4 color:OL from:1882 till:1892 text:St. Louis Cardinals
bar:4 color:NL from:1892 till:2026 text:
bar:5 color:OL from:1882 till:1887 text:Pittsburgh Pirates
bar:5 color:NL from:1887 till:2026 text:
bar:6 color:OL from:1882 till:1890 text: Cincinnati Reds
bar:6 color:NL from:1890 till:1953 text:
bar:6 color:NL from:1953 till:1959 text: RL*
bar:6 color:NL from:1959 till:2026 text: Cincinnati Reds
bar:7 color:OL from:1882 till:1892 text:Louisville Colonels
bar:7 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:8 color:OL from:1882 till:1892 text:Baltimore Orioles
bar:8 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:9 color:NL from:1883 till:2026 text:Philadelphia Phillies
bar:10 color:NL from:1883 till:1958 text:New York Giants
bar:10 color:NL from:1958 till:2026 text:San Francisco Giants

bar:11 color:OL from:1884 till:1885 text:Union Association
bar:12 color:OL from:1884 till:1890 text:Brooklyn Dodgers
bar:12 color:NL from:1890 till:1958 text:
bar:12 color:NL from:1958 till:2026 text:Los Angeles Dodgers

bar:13 color:OL from:1887 till:1889 text:Cleveland Spiders
bar:13 color:NL from:1889 till:1900 text:

bar:14 color:OL from:1890 till:1891 text:Player's League
bar:15 color:OL from:1891 till:1892 text:Washington Senators
bar:15 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:

bar:16 color:AL from:1901 till:1903 text: Baltimore Orioles
bar:17 color:AL from:1901 till:1902 text:*
bar:17 color:AL from:1902 till:1954 text:St. Louis Browns
bar:17 color:AL from:1954 till:2026 text:Baltimore Orioles
bar:18 color:AL from:1901 till:1955 text: Philadelphia Athletics
bar:18 color:AL from:1955 till:1968 text: K.C. Athletics
bar:18 color:AL from:1968 till:2025 text: Oakland Athletics
bar:18 color:AL from:2025 till:2026 text: Athletics
bar:19 color:AL from:1901 till:1961 text: Washington Senators
bar:19 color:AL from:1961 till:2026 text: Minnesota Twins
bar:20 color:AL from:1901 till:2026 text: Boston Red Sox
bar:21 color:AL from:1901 till:2026 text: Chicago White Sox
bar:22 color:AL from:1901 till:2022 text: Cleveland Indians
bar:22 color:AL from:2022 till:2026 text: Cle. Guardians

bar:23 color:AL from:1901 till:2026 text: Detroit Tigers
bar:24 color:AL from:1903 till:2026 text: New York Yankees
bar:25 color:OL from:1914 till:1916 text: Federal League
bar:26 color:OL from:1920 till:1932 text: Negro National League I
bar:27 color:OL from:1923 till:1929 text: Eastern Colored League
bar:28 color:OL from:1929 till:1930 text: American Negro League
bar:29 color:OL from:1932 till:1933 text: East–West League
bar:30 color:OL from:1932 till:1933 text: Negro Southern League
bar:31 color:OL from:1933 till:1949 text: Negro National League II
bar:32 color:OL from:1937 till:1949 text: Negro American League
bar:33 color:AL from:1961 till:1972 text: W. Senators
bar:33 color:AL from:1972 till:2026 text: Texas Rangers
bar:34 color:AL from:1961 till:1965 text:L.A.
bar:34 color:AL from:1965 till:1997 text: California Angels
bar:34 color:AL from:1997 till:2005 text: Anaheim
bar:34 color:AL from:2005 till:2015 text: L.A.A.A*
bar:34 color:AL from:2015 till:2026 text: Los Angeles Angels
bar:35 color:NL from:1962 till:2026 text: New York Mets
bar:36 color:NL from:1962 till:1965 text:*
bar:36 color:NL from:1965 till:2013 text: Houston Astros
bar:36 color:AL from:2013 till:2026 text:
bar:37 color:NL from:1969 till:2005 text: Montreal Expos
bar:37 color:NL from:2005 till:2026 text: Washington Nationals
bar:38 color:NL from:1969 till:2026 text: San Diego Padres
bar:39 color:AL from:1969 till:1970 text: *
bar:39 color:AL from:1970 till:1998 text: Milwaukee Brewers
bar:39 color:NL from:1998 till:2026 text:
bar:40 color:AL from:1969 till:2026 text: Kansas City Royals
bar:41 color:AL from:1977 till:2026 text: Toronto Blue Jays
bar:42 color:AL from:1977 till:2026 text: Seattle Mariners
bar:43 color:NL from:1993 till:2011 text: Florida Marlins
bar:43 color:NL from:2011 till:2026 text: Miami Marlins
bar:44 color:NL from:1993 till:2026 text: Colorado Rockies
bar:45 color:NL from:1998 till:2026 text: Arizona Diamondbacks
bar:46 color:AL from:1998 till:2008 text: T.B.D.R*
bar:46 color:AL from:2008 till:2026 text: Tampa Bay Rays
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1875
TextData =
fontsize:L
textcolor:black
pos: tabs:
text:^"Major League Baseball leagues and franchises"


  • From 1954 through 1959, during the Cold War, the Cincinnati Reds changed their name to the Redlegs for 5 seasons due to the connection between communism and the color red.
  • The Baltimore Orioles were inaugurated in 1901 as the Milwaukee Brewers and finished in dead last. They quickly moved to St. Louis as the Browns and eventually moved to Baltimore.
  • The Houston Astros were named the Colt.45s for their inaugural three seasons.
  • L.A.A.A stands for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The name caused controversy between the two cities and led to the 2015 name change.
  • The Milwaukee Brewers played their 1969 inaugural season in Seattle as the Pilots but moved to Milwaukee six days before the 1970 season opener.
  • Tampa Bay started as the Devil Rays in 1998 and changed their name in 2008 to the Rays, dropping the “Devil” from the original name.

Pre-1900 city timeline

This timeline shows the history of major league franchises before 1900. Multiple bars for a city indicates that the city hosted multiple major league franchises at the same time; for example, Philadelphia at times hosted two or three franchises concurrently. Gaps in the bars indicate a change in franchises; for example, there were three franchises known as the Kansas City Cowboys. Franchise moves are not tracked by this timeline.


DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1876 till:1900
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:NL value:rgb # National League
id:AA value:rgb # American Association
id:UA value:rgb # Union Association
id:PL value:rgb # Player's League
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:NL from:1876 till:1900 text:Boston Braves

bar:2 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Boston Reds
bar:2 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Boston Reds
bar:2 color:AA from:1891 till:1892 text:
bar:3 color:NL from:1876 till:1900 text:Chicago Cubs
bar:4 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Chicago Pirates
bar:5 color:NL from:1876 till:1880 text:Cincinnati Reds
bar:5 color:AA from:1882 till:1890 text:Cincinnati Reds
bar:5 color:NL from:1890 till:1900 text:
bar:6 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Cincinnati Outlaw Reds
bar:6 color:AA from:1891 till:1892 text:Cincinnati Kelly's Killers
bar:7 color:NL from:1876 till:1877 text:New York Mutuals
bar:7 color:NL from:1883 till:1900 text:New York Giants
bar:8 color:AA from:1883 till:1888 text:New York Metropolitans
bar:8 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:New York Giants

bar:9 color:NL from:1876 till:1877 text:Philadelphia Athletics
bar:9 color:NL from:1883 till:1900 text:Philadelphia Phillies
bar:10 color:AA from:1882 till:1891 text:Philadelphia Athletics
bar:11 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Philadelphia Keystones
bar:11 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Philadelphia Athletics
bar:11 color:AA from:1891 till:1892 text:
bar:12 color:NL from:1876 till:1878 text:St. Louis Brown Stockings
bar:12 color:AA from:1882 till:1892 text:St. Louis Cardinals
bar:12 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:13 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:St. Louis Maroons
bar:13 color:NL from:1885 till:1887 text:
bar:14 color:NL from:1876 till:1878 text:Louisville Grays
bar:14 color:AA from:1882 till:1892 text:Louisville Colonels
bar:14 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:15 color:NL from:1876 till:1877 text:Hartford Dark Blues
bar:16 color:NL from:1877 till:1878 text:Brooklyn Hartfords
bar:16 color:AA from:1884 till:1890 text:Brooklyn Dodgers
bar:16 color:NL from:1890 till:1900 text:
bar:17 color:AA from:1890 till:1891 text:Brooklyn Gladiators
bar:18 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Brooklyn Ward's Wonders
bar:19 color:NL from:1878 till:1879 text:Indianapolis Blues
bar:19 color:AA from:1884 till:1885 text:Indianapolis Hoosiers
bar:19 color:NL from:1887 till:1890 text:
bar:20 color:NL from:1878 till:1879 text:Milwaukee Grays
bar:20 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Milwaukee Brewers
bar:20 color:AA from:1891 till:1892 text:Milwaukee Brewers
bar:21 color:NL from:1878 till:1886 text:Providence Grays
bar:22 color:NL from:1879 till:1885 text:Cleveland Blues
bar:22 color:AA from:1887 till:1889 text:Cleveland Spiders
bar:22 color:NL from:1889 till:1900 text:
bar:23 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Cleveland Infants
bar:24 color:NL from:1879 till:1886 text:Buffalo Bisons
bar:24 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Buffalo Bisons
bar:25 color:NL from:1879 till:1880 text:Syracuse Stars
bar:25 color:AA from:1890 till:1891 text:Syracuse Stars
bar:26 color:NL from:1879 till:1883 text:Troy Trojans
bar:27 color:NL from:1880 till:1883 text:Worcester Worcesters
bar:28 color:NL from:1881 till:1889 text:Detroit Wolverines
bar:29 color:AA from:1882 till:1887 text:Pittsburgh Pirates
bar:29 color:NL from:1887 till:1900 text:
bar:30 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Pittsburgh Stogies
bar:30 color:PL from:1890 till:1891 text:Pittsburgh Burghers
bar:31 color:AA from:1882 till:1892 text:Baltimore Orioles
bar:31 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:32 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Baltimore Monumentals
bar:33 color:AA from:1883 till:1885 text:Columbus Buckeyes
bar:33 color:AA from:1889 till:1892 text:Columbus Solons
bar:34 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Washington Nationals
bar:34 color:NL from:1886 till:1890 text:
bar:34 color:AA from:1891 till:1892 text:Washington Senators
bar:34 color:NL from:1892 till:1900 text:
bar:35 color:AA from:1884 till:1885 text:Washington Statesmen
bar:36 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Kansas City Cowboys
bar:36 color:NL from:1886 till:1887 text:
bar:36 color:AA from:1888 till:1890 text:Kansas City Cowboys

bar:37 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Toledo Blue Stockings
bar:37 color:AA from:1890 till:1891 text:Toledo Maumees
bar:38 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:Altoona Mountain Citys
bar:39 color:AA from:1884 till:1885 text:Richmond Virginians
bar:40 color:UA from:1884 till:1885 text:St. Paul Saints

bar:41 color:AA from:1884 till:1885 text:Wilmington Quicksteps
bar:42 color:AA from:1890 till:1891 text:Rochester Broncos
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:1876
TextData =
fontsize:L
textcolor:black
pos: tabs:
text:^"Pre-1900 Major League Baseball franchises"

Cities that have hosted National or American League baseball teams

Anaheim Arlington Atlanta Baltimore Boston