In 1969, Major League Baseball authorized two new franchises - the San Diego Padres, and the Montreal Expos. Unfortunately for Montreal, their team had a hard-luck life, with no substantial successes on the field and only a single Division Championship in 1981. Despite a mild rally in the 1990s, by the end of the 20th century the team was in disrepair and the ownership floundering. MLB eventually bought out the team in 2002, and two years later moved them to Washington, D.C.
The Expos' move (and renaming to the Washington Nationals) ended a long drought of baseball in the nation's capital, a drought that began in 1972 when the city's second major league team (the Senators) moved to Texas to become the Rangers. After a few controversies involving broadcast rights (which were granted to the Orioles, making the Nats the only major league team that doesn't broadcast their own games) and placement of the new stadium, the new Washington team took the field on April 4, 2005.
The team has spent the years since their move attempting to rehabilitate their farm team and building a new stadium, which opened for business at the end of March of this year. The team has consistently ranked low in the NL East, although recent years have seen a marked improvement in the Nationals' fortunes on the field - albeit not quite enough of an improvement to return to a winning season record. The team is currently in a rebuilding phase, and drafting and cultivating talent that management and fans hope will carry the Nats to their first championship in the club's history.
