Montreal Expos Players – Where are They Now? II

Former Infielders and Outfielders are Scattered Around the League

Jun 29, 2009

In 2004, the Montreal Expos played their final season at the Olympic Stadium. Five years later, the franchise is still in Washington, D.C. What about the players?

On September 29, 2004, Montrealers packed the Olympic Stadium to watch their baseball team take to the field for the last time as the Montreal Expos. The night would end with disappointment in a 9-1 loss to the Florida Marlins.

Five years later, here’s a look at where some of those that donned the Expos uniform that season are today.

Former Expos Infielders

Orlando Cabrera: Cabrera’s career in Montreal came to an end at the 2004 trading deadline, when he was shipped to the Boston Red Sox. It would turn out to be a great move for the shortstop, who would pick up his first and only World Series title to date that fall. He then headed west to the Angels, reuniting with former Expos teammate Vladimir Guerrero for the next three seasons. After a season with the Chicago White Sox in 2008 that earned him MLB.com Defensive Player of the Year honors, Cabrera returned west in 2009, suiting up for the Oakland Athletics.

Jamey Carroll: Primarily a utility player in his two seasons and change in Montreal, Carroll made history as an Expo, scoring the last run for the franchise before it relocated to Washington. He would stay just one season (2005) in the U.S. capital before moving onto Colorado for the next two years. Carroll enjoyed a stellar year at the plate in 2006, recording a .300 batting average, .377 on base percentage, and a .404 slugging percentage. The Evansville, Indiana native has spent the last two seasons with the Cleveland Indians.

Nick Johnson: While most of the Expos that moved with the club to Washington have since moved on, first baseman Nick Johnson remains the lone holdover. After a disappointing and injury-plagued 2008 campaign, the 30-year-old has bounced back with a solid 2009 season thus far, batting .300 through 71 of the Nationals’ 73 games.

Jose Vidro: Vidro spent a decade in an Expos/Nationals uniform, but his career with the franchise came to an end when he was traded to the Seattle Mariners on December 14, 2006. There, the second baseman was used primarily as the designated hitter over the course of his two seasons with the team. The Mariners designated Vidro for assignment on August 5, 2008; eight days later, he would be released. The 35-year-old Puerto Rican has not found a club for the 2009 season.

Former Expos Outfielders

Brad Wilkerson: Though his numbers at the plate were never anything to write home about, Wilkerson still averaged a respectable .350 on-base percentage during his career. He alternated between the outfield and first base throughout his time with Montreal/Washington, a trend that continued when he was sent to the Texas Rangers in December 2005. After two years in the Lone Star State, Wilkerson signed a one-year deal with Seattle in 2008. Designated for assignment just one month into the season, he signed on with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2009, he signed a minor league pact with the Boston Red Sox; on April 10, 2009, Wilkerson announced his retirement from baseball.

Endy Chavez: Just seven games into the Washington Nationals’ existence, Chavez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He lasted one season there and signed with the New York Mets in 2005, where he would spend the next three seasons. Chavez was traded to the Seattle Mariners in as part of a 12-player deal on December 10, 2008. On June 19, 2009, he was injured when he collided with a teammate while trying to catch a pop-up; Chavez will miss the remainder of the 2009 season and possibly some of the 2010 campaign.

Ryan Church: He played in 30 games with the Expos in 2004 and remained with the organization in Washington for the next three years. In November 2007, he was shipped to the division rival Mets along with catcher Brian Schneider.

Pitchers and Catchers

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