This Day In Dodgers History: Eric Karros Traded; Don Sutton Signs With Astros

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Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek were traded to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen on this day in Los Angeles Dodgers history in 2002.

The Cubs also received cash considerations as part of the deal, and Karros waived his no-trade clause that was acquired by becoming a player with 10-and-5 rights, and Grudzielanek agreed to restructure his contract.

The trade was the latest move in the Cubs’ efforts that offseason to bounce back from going 67-95. They hired Dusty Baker as manager, signed Mike Remlinger, and traded for Damian Miller and Paul Bako prior to acquiring Karros and Grudzielanek from the Dodgers.

Karros was coming off a down year but the trade still represented the end of an era. He attended UCLA and was picked by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

Karros went on to make his MLB debut in 1991 and spent 12 seasons with the Dodgers. During his time in Los Angeles, Karros hit .268/.325/.457 with 302 doubles, 270 home runs and 976 RBI over 1,601 games. Karros holds the Los Angeles franchise record for most home runs in a career.

Draft: Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA).

Grudzielanek was with the Dodgers for parts of five seasons and his tenure with the team ended on a rocky note due to disagreements with then-manager Jim Tracy.

The trade represented a reunion between Hundley and the Dodgers, as he had previously played for the team in 1999 and 2000 as a backup catcher to Paul Lo Duca.

There was some thought trading Karros and Grudzielanek was going to provide the Dodgers with financial flexibility that would allow them to sign Jeff Kent or Cliff Floyd, but neither free agent joined the team. Kent did ultimately play for the Dodgers from 2005-2008, the final four seasons of his career.

Don Sutton leaves Dodgers

Also on this day in Dodgers history, Don Sutton signed a four-year contract with the Houston Astros in 1980.

Sutton went 233-181 with a 3.09 ERA and four All-Star Game selections over his 16-year career with the Dodgers. He left the team as the all-time franchise leader in wins.

Sutton held that mark until Clayton Kershaw became the all-time Dodgers wins leader during the 2022 season.

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