Did the 1903 New York Highlanders own the contracts of the remaining 1902 Baltimore Orioles?

Question

If the relationship between the 1902 Orioles and 1903 Highlanders was that of predecessor and successor franchises, the new team would have taken over the contract of the old one. If not, the remaining Oriole players were free agents.

Answer 1

Everything I've read indicates that they were the same franchise, and MLB records recognize them that way. Looking over the stats, I see only 4 players that were on both the '02 Orioles and '03 Highlanders, but that appears to be primarily the result of the New York Giants buying the team and taking the best players.

Answer 2

by my understanding, the 1902 baltimore orioles and the 1903 new york highlanders were the same team, just with a relocation and name change. sounds like the recent move of the montreal expos to the washington nationals