The following is a timeline of franchise evolution in Major League Baseball. The histories of franchises in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), Union Association (UA), and American Association (AA) before they joined the National League (NL) are also included. In 1900 the minor league Western League renamed itself the American League (AL). All of the 1899 Western League teams were a part of the transformation with the Saint Paul Apostles moving to Chicago and to play as the White Stockings. In 1901 the AL declared itself a Major League. For its inaugural major league season the AL dropped its teams in Indianapolis, Buffalo and Minneapolis and replaced them with franchises in Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore and the Kansas City Blues moved to Washington to play as the Senators.
In 2020, Major League Baseball designated the following seven Negro leagues from 1920–1948 as major leagues:[1] Negro National League I (NNL), Eastern Colored League (ECL), American Negro League (ANL), East–West League (EWL), Negro Southern League (NSL), Negro National League II (NNL), and Negro American League (NAL).
The timeline has not yet been fully updated to reflect that designation (in addition, the timeline does not include any non-National League/American League teams which existed at the Major League level from 1876 to 1915).
The History of organizational changes section includes all leagues and which have been designated as major league by MLB, listed chronologically by founding date:
The first line is the formation of the National League in 1876, and the second is the transformation of the American League to a major league in 1901. The third line is the beginning of the expansion era in 1961. The fourth line marks the legal merger of the American and National Leagues into a single Major League Baseball.
World Series championships are shown with a "*", National League Pennants before the World Series are shown with a "^", and American League Pennants before the World Series "#". No World Series was played in 1904, so the pennant winners for each league are indicated. Due to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, there were no pennant winners or World Series in 1994, so this year is left blank.
1876: Founding of the National League (NL)
The NL was established with eight teams.
1877
- The New York Mutuals and Philadelphia Athletics were expelled.
- The Hartford Dark Blues moved to Brooklyn and became the Brooklyn Hartfords.
Team folded after this season ^ |
1878
- The Brooklyn Hartfords, Louisville Grays, and St. Louis Brown Stockings folded.
- The Indianapolis Blues, Milwaukee Grays, and Providence Grays joined.
First season in NL * |
Only season in NL § |
1879
First season in NL * |
Only season in NL § |
Team disbanded after this season ^ |
1880
First season in NL * |
Only season in NL § |
1881
- The Cincinnati Stars were expelled because they refused to sign a league-wide pledge to ban alcohol at ballparks.
- The Detroit Wolverines joined.
1882: Establishment of the American Association (AA)
The AA was established with six teams.
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1883
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1884: The Union Association (UA) as a third league
First season in AA * |
Only season in AA/Folds mid-season § |
Last season in AA or NL ^ |
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1885: Back to two leagues
- The UA disbanded.
- The St. Louis Maroons from the UA joined the NL.
- The Cleveland Blues, Columbus Buckeyes, Indianapolis Hoosiers, Toledo Blue Stockings, and Washington Nationals folded.
- The Richmond Virginians returned to Minor League Baseball.
- The New York Gothams became the New York Giants.
- The Brooklyn Atlantics became the Brooklyn Grays.
- The Louisville Eclipse became the Louisville Colonels.
Team moved from the former UA ** |
Last season in NL ^ |
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1886
First season in NL * |
Only season in NL § |
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1887
First season in AA * |
Team moved from AA ** |
Last season in AA ^ |
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1888
First season in AA * |
Last season in NL ^ |
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1889
First season in AA * |
Team moved from AA ** |
Last season in AA or NL ^ |
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1890: The Players' League (PL) as a third league
- The PL was established with eight teams.
- The Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago Colts.
- The Philadelphia Quakers became the Philadelphia Phillies.
- The Brooklyn Bridegrooms transferred to the NL.
- The Cincinnati Red Stockings transferred to the NL and became the Cincinnati Reds.
- The Indianapolis Hoosiers, Kansas City Cowboys, and Washington Nationals folded.
- The Baltimore Orioles transferred to Minor League Baseball and were replaced by the Brooklyn Gladiators. The Brooklyn Gladiators then folded mid-season, and the Baltimore Orioles returned to the AA to finish the season.
- The Rochester Broncos, a new Syracuse Stars, and the Toledo Maumees joined the AA.
Team moved from AA ** |
Only season in AA § |
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1891: Last AA season
First MLB season * |
Only season in MLB § |
Last MLB season ^ |
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1892: NL monopoly
- The AA folded.
- The Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Statesmen (all from the AA) joined the NL.
- The Washington Statesmen became the Washington Senators.
Teams move from the former AA ** |
1896
The Brooklyn Grooms became the Brooklyn Bridegrooms again.
1899
Team folded after this season ^ |
1900: Classic Eight
- The Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Spiders, Louisville Colonels, and Washington Senators folded.
- The St. Louis Perfectos became the St. Louis Cardinals.
1901: Founding of the American League (AL)
The AL was established with eight teams.
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1902
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1903: National Agreement and Founding of National Baseball Commission
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1904
The Chicago White Stockings became the Chicago White Sox.
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1907
The Boston Beaneaters became the Boston Doves.
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1908
The Boston Americans became the Boston Red Sox.
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1911
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1912
The Boston Rustlers became the Boston Braves.
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1913
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1914
- The Federal League (FL) declared itself as a "third major league" with its own eight teams, and competed with the NL and AL.
- The Brooklyn Dodgers became the Brooklyn Robins.
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1915
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1916
The FL folded prior to the season.
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1920: Establishment of the Negro National League (NNL)
The NNL was established with eight teams, the first black baseball league to be designated a major league.
Team withdrew after this season ^^ |
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1921: Commissioner of Baseball established
Only season in NNL § |
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1922
First season in NL * |
Only season in NNL § |
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1923: Founding of the Eastern Colored League (ECL)
Only season in NNL § |
Only season in NNL, folded mid-season §§ |
Associate member, joined mid-season, team folded after season ^ |
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1924
First season in NNL or ECL* |
Only season in NNL § |
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1925
Team folded mid-season ^ |
Team withdrew after this season ^^ |
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1926
Only season in NNL or ECL, folded mid-season § |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Last season in NNL, withdrew mid-season ^^ |
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1927
Team rejoined from minor league Negro Southern League ** |
Only season in NNL § |
Last season in NNL or ECL ^ |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1928: Last ECL season
First season in MLB * |
Only season in NNL or ECL § |
Last MLB season ^ |
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1929: Only American Negro League (ANL) season
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team independent after this season ^^ |
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1930
First season in NNL * |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1931: Last NNL season
First season in NNL * |
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1932: Major league Negro Southern League (NSL) season and only East–West League (EWL) season
Team rejoined MLB ** |
Only season in MLB § |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1933: Establishment of the second NNL
- The Little Rock Grays and Columbus Turf Club folded.
- The Atlanta Black Crackers and Birmingham Black Barons withdrew as independent teams.
- The NSL was demoted to minor league status.
- The Cleveland Stars, Detroit Wolves, Hilldale Club, and Newark Browns folded.
- Pollock's Cuban Stars and the Washington Pilots withdrew as independent teams.
- The Baltimore Black Sox became the Baltimore Sox.
- The EWL disbanded.
- The second NNL was established with 7 teams. Five of those teams, the Baltimore Sox, Chicago American Giants, Homestead Grays, Indianapolis ABCs, and Nashville Elite Giants were from the NSL or EWL.
- The Pittsburgh Crawfords joined the NNL.
- The Indianapolis ABCs moved mid-season to Detroit, Michigan and became the Detroit Stars.
- The Columbus Blue Birds joined the NNL. The team disbanded and merged with the independent Akron Black Tyrites after the first half of the split season. The Akron Black Tyrites joined the NNL in place of the Columbus Blue Birds as the Akron Grays before they moved to Cleveland, Ohio and became the Cleveland Giants for one game.
First season in NNL * |
Team moved from former EWL or NSL ** |
Only season in NNL, folded mid-season § |
Only season in NNL, joined mid-season §§ |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1934
First season in NNL * |
Only season in NNL § |
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1935
First season in NNL * |
Team rejoined MLB ** |
Only season in NNL § |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1936
First season in NNL * |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1937: Founding of the Negro American League (NAL)
Team rejoined MLB ** |
Only season in NAL § |
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1938
First season in NAL * |
Team rejoined MLB ** |
Only season in NNL § |
Team departed after this season ^^ |
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1939
Team joined NAL or rejoined NNL ** |
Team folded after this season ^ |
Team left NNL mid-season ^^ |
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1940
Team rejoined NAL ** |
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1941
Team temporarily folded after this season ^^ |
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1942
First season in NAL * |
Team left mid-season ^ |
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1943
First season in NAL * |
Team folds mid-season ^ |
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1948
Team has yet to integrate † |
Team folded after this season ^ |
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1949
Team has yet to integrate † |
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1953: Braves relocation to Milwaukee, and Cincinnati renaming
Team has yet to integrate † |
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1954: Browns relocation to Baltimore
Team has yet to integrate † |
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1955: Athletics relocation to Kansas City
Team has yet to integrate † |
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1958: The NL exits New York for California
Team has yet to integrate † |
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1959: Cincinnati reverts back to the Reds
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1994 realignment
MLB realigned to three divisions in each league to accommodate an expanded postseason format with a wild card team (although this new playoff format would not be fully implemented until 1995 due to a work stoppage):
- The AL Central was formed with the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers transferring from the AL East, and the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins transferred from the AL West.
- The NL Central was formed with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals transferring from the NL East, and the Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros transferred from the NL West.
- The Atlanta Braves transferred to the NL East.
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1997: Angels renaming
The California Angels became the Anaheim Angels.
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1998 expansion
- The Arizona Diamondbacks joined the NL West.
- The Tampa Bay Devil Rays joined the AL East.
- The Detroit Tigers transferred to the AL Central.
- In order to primarily continue intraleague play, the Milwaukee Brewers transferred to the NL Central so both leagues would have an even number of teams.
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2001: Scrapped contraction to 28 teams
In 2001, MLB team owners voted 28–2 to eliminate two teams, the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos for the 2002 season. In this realignment:
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By December 2001, this plan was scrapped; both teams would be retained for the following season.
2005: Expos relocation and Angels renaming
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2008: Tampa Bay renaming
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays became the Tampa Bay Rays.
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2012: Marlins renaming
The Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins.
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2013: Astros switch leagues
With interleague play expanded to occur throughout the season, the Houston Astros transferred to the AL West to accommodate each league with 15 clubs apiece.
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2016: Angels renaming
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim became the Los Angeles Angels.
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2022: Cleveland renaming
The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians.
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