Since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Nationals in 2005, fans have kept tabs on former Expos players in the hopes of determining which will be the last Expo standing in MLB.

Plenty of guys with connections to Montreal remain in the game, including Nats shortstop Ian Desmond — the last player on the club that has been with the franchise since it played its home games in Olympic Stadium. But neither Desmond nor guys like Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee, who played for Expos’ minor league clubs, ever played for the big-league team.

By our count, only two players that did are on Major League rosters in 2015. And since 34-year-old infielder Maicer Izturis is on the Blue Jays’ disabled list, Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is the only former Expo that has seen a big-league playing field to date this season.

Reliever Luis Ayala is pitching the Mexican League. Lefty Scott Downs was released by the Cleveland Indians after failing to make their roster this spring. Another lefty, Bruce Chen, is starting games for the Indians’ Class AAA team in Columbus. And outfielder Endy Chavez opted out of his contract with the Mariners when he could not crack the club in late March.

All those guys might have something left to offer Major League teams in 2015 or beyond, and Izturis, on account of his age and defensive versatility, could hang around the fringes of big-league rosters for years to come.

But since the 41-year-old Colon is the only former Montreal still performing effectively in the Majors, he looks increasingly likely to be the last Expo standing. And that’s especially interesting given the circumstances that brought Colon to Montreal.

With the club in contention but facing possible contraction in 2002, interim GM Omar Minaya traded prospects Phillips, Lee and Grady Sizemore to the Indians along with veteran first baseman Lee Stevens for a half a season’s worth of Colon. Colon pitched well in his short tenure with the Expos, going 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 17 starts.

But the trade is now mostly remembered as an example of the dangers of trading prospects for veteran help: The Expos failed to reach the postseason that year, Colon fled for the Angels in free agency after the season, and Phillips, Lee and Sizemore all went on to become All-Stars elsewhere.