Major League Baseball

With A's moving to Las Vegas, a look at the history of MLB relocation

Published Nov. 16, 2023 1:20 p.m. ET

The Oakland Athletics are firmly headed for Las Vegas after Major League Baseball team owners unanimously approved the sport's first relocation since 2005 on Thursday.

Two people familiar with the vote disclosed the results to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the league had not yet announced the move.

It will be the A's fourth city — from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland to Las Vegas — the most in baseball's history.

Here's a look at MLB teams that have moved cities since 1953.

2023: Oakland Athletics move to Las Vegas

After years of complaints about the Oakland Coliseum and an inability to gain government assistance for a new ballpark in the Bay Area, the A's plan to move to a stadium to be built on the Las Vegas Strip with $380 million in public financing approved by the Nevada government. The A's lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and it remains unclear where the team will play before a new ballpark opens, in 2027 at the earliest.

2005: Montreal Expos move to Washington

The franchise became the Nationals after 36 years in Canada, leaving after declining attendance at Olympic Stadium and a desire for a new ballpark.

1972: Washington Senators move to Texas

The second version of the Senators was founded in 1961, lasting 11 seasons before declining attendance spurred a move to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

1970: Seattle Pilots move to Milwaukee

The expansion Pilots — of "Ball Four" fame — lasted just one season in Seattle before moving to Milwaukee. Seattle would later get an expansion team , the Mariners, that started playing in 1978.

1968: Kansas City Athletics move to Oakland

Citing declining attendance and a desire to move to the growing West Coast market, the Athletics made the move to the Bay Area, where they would stay until the move to Las Vegas was approved.

1966: Milwaukee Braves move to Atlanta

The franchise had a successful 13-year run in Milwaukee, winning the World Series in 1957, but that couldn't stop the team from moving to the growing Atlanta market.

1961: Washington Senators move to Minnesota

After 60 years in the nation's capital, the first version of the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota, where the franchise remains today.

1958: Brooklyn Dodgers move to Los Angeles/New York Giants move to San Francisco

In a pair of moves that shook the sport, the Dodgers and Giants both left New York for the rapidly growing West Coast. New York had just one team — the Yankees — for a handful of seasons until the Mets were established in 1962.

1955: Philadelphia Athletics move to Kansas City

After 52 seasons in Philadelphia, the Athletics moved to Kansas City in an effort to find a new market where they didn't have to compete with the crosstown Phillies.

1954: St. Louis Browns move to Baltimore

After years of poor performance and competition with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Browns moved to Baltimore, where they become the Orioles.

1953: Boston Braves move to Milwaukee

The Braves set off a wave of relocation throughout the 1950s and '60s when the franchise left for Milwaukee after 77 seasons in Boston.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience