The A's and the Browns move to California

phil5775

1952: The Boston Braves anounce they will move to Milwaukee for the 1953 season.

1953: New York Yankees co-owner Del Webb completes negotiations with Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley in order to purchase both the territorial rights to the Los Angeles area, and also Wrigley Field, home of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels. Webb's goal is to renovate Wrigley to major league standards, with the intent of moving an existing MLB franchise to the west coast.

1954: Webb buys the financially strapped St. Louis Browns from owner Bill Veeck, and announces that he will move the team to Los Angeles for the 1955 season. Webb's construction company also begins renovation on San Francisco's Seals Stadium, with the intent of luring an MLB team to northern California.

The Philadelphia Athletics are purchased by Paul Fagan, part owner of the Pacific Coast League's San Francisco Seals, who announces he will move the team to San Francisco for the 1955 season.

1955: The Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Seals (named after the PCL teams they replaced) begin play at the new Angel Stadium and Seals Stadium, respectively.

1956: The New York Giants announce they will move to Baltimore's Memorial Stadium in 1957, adopting the name Baltimore Orioles.

1957: Unable to come to an agreement with New York City to buy land to build his own stadium, and unwilling to play in a publicly owned ballpark, Brooklyn Dodger owner Walter O'Malley announces he will keep the team at Ebbets Field until a suitable site for his new ballpark can be found. O'Malley does not specify whether he means in New York or elsewhere.

1960: Washington Senators owner Calvin Griffith announces he is moving the team to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the 1961 season. The team will be known as the Minnesota Twins.

The AL announces that it will expand in 1961, with one team replacing the departing Washington Senators. The other team will be located in Houston, and known as the Colt .45's.

At this point in time, MLB consists of a 10-team AL and an 8-team NL. The lineups are as follows:

AL
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Houston Colt .45's
Los Angeles Angels
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
San Francisco Seals
Washington Senators

NL
Baltimore Orioles
Brooklyn Dodgers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The Dodgers scenario opens up a couple of possibilities. First, they work things out in Brooklyn, staying there and postponing any immediate NL expansion.

Second, O'Malley is approached by interests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where he is offered land to build his stadium. In this timeline, the NL expansion does take place, with the Mets replacing the Dodgers, and a second team added, either Montreal or Kansas City.
 
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Caspian

Banned
A minor issue is that I wouldn't expect the Athletics to change their name to the Seals. Giants to Orioles is more plausible, though.
 

von kressenstein

Banned
GACK! you took the giants out ...
damnit and you moved the braves ...
at least ya kept the dodgers where they belong.. Ebbets was an eyesre by the time they left so i dont think it would take to long for a real compromise to take place.

if they would have stayed in Boston for a little longer they could have easily competed with the sox.. The Braves were turning things around and with the larger market could have stayed competitive well into the late 60's with the talent coming through the pipe.


phil5775 said:
1952: The Boston Braves anounce they will move to Milwaukee for the 1953 season.

1953: New York Yankees co-owner Del Webb completes negotiations with Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley in order to purchase both the territorial rights to the Los Angeles area, and also Wrigley Field, home of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels. Webb's goal is to renovate Wrigley to major league standards, with the intent of moving an existing MLB franchise to the west coast.

1954: Webb buys the financially strapped St. Louis Browns from owner Bill Veeck, and announces that he will move the team to Los Angeles for the 1955 season. Webb's construction company also begins renovation on San Francisco's Seals Stadium, with the intent of luring an MLB team to northern California.

The Philadelphia Athletics announce they will move to San Francisco for the 1955 season.

1955: The Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Seals (named after the PCL teams they replaced) begin play at the new Angel Stadium and Seals Stadium, respectively.

1956: The New York Giants announce they will move to Baltimore's Memorial Stadium in 1957, adopting the name Baltimore Orioles.

1957: Unable to come to an agreement with New York City to buy land to build his own stadium, and unwilling to play in a publicly owned ballpark, Brooklyn Dodger owner Walter O'Malley announces he will keep the team at Ebbets Field until a suitable site for his new ballpark can be found. O'Malley does not specify whether he means in New York or elsewhere.

1960: Washington Senators owner Calvin Griffith announces he is moving the team to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the 1961 season. The team will be known as the Minnesota Twins.

The AL announces that it will expand in 1961, with one team replacing the departing Washington Senators. The other team will be located in Houston, and known as the Colt .45's.

At this point in time, MLB consists of a 10-team AL and an 8-team NL. The lineups are as follows:

AL
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Houston Colt .45's
Los Angeles Angels
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
San Francisco Seals
Washington Senators

NL
Baltimore Orioles
Brooklyn Dodgers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

The Dodgers scenario opens up a couple of possibilities. First, they work things out in Brooklyn, staying there and postponing any immediate NL expansion.

Second, O'Malley is approached by interests in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where he is offered land to build his stadium. In this timeline, the NL expansion does take place, with the Mets replacing the Dodgers, and a second team added, either Montreal or Kansas City.
Click to expand...
 

DTF955Baseballfan

Interesting place to move the Giants; that's a clever TL.

While it's sad to see teams move, in my TLs I have come up with some interesting ideas (like the Cardinals in the A.L., leading to the A's and Senators moving like you have only because Frank Robison doesn't by the Browns in 1899) based on things that could well have happened. (Gass3268, Bill Bartholomay came close to buying a share of the White Sox during the Comiskey legal battle, so you might be able to devise one where the Braves stay in Milwaukee).

The problem with the Braves in Boston is the city was always a Red Sox town, and when the Sox were horrible the Braves were, too. They did draw well in '48 but floundered soon after.

Maybe if they'd gotten Willie Mays, outhustling the Giants for him. That could have drawn some, but only trouble with that is that his military service would have kept the fans from being able to come to see him anyway. So, you might not be able to keep them from moving anyway.
 
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