Today In Dodger History: Dodgers Acquire Eddie Murray From Orioles

December 4, 1988

Coming off a World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers were looking to repeat as champions and made a move on this date to improve their chances. They traded Ken Howell, Brian Holton and minor league Juan Bell to the Baltimore Orioles for seven-time All-Star first baseman Eddie Murray.

The switch-hitting corner infielder was coming off a season in which he hit .284 with 28 home runs and 84 RBI in 161 games for the Orioles. He would replace Franklin Stubbs at first base and give the Dodgers a force in the middle of the order to pair with Kirk Gibson. Murray was Rookie of the Year in 1997, finished in the top-5 of MVP voting five times and was a three-time Gold Glove winner. In his 12 seasons with the Orioles, he accumulated 2,021 hits, 333 home runs, 1,190 RBI and a .295 career batting average in 1,820 games.

He was a model of consistency in his first 12 seasons, hitting at least .277 with at least 17 home runs and 78 RBI in each season. The then 32-year-old came to the Dodgers as a bonafide run producer at first base. In his first year with the Dodgers, Murray struggled to hit for average but still managed to provide power and drive in runs. He hit .247, his lowest average in his career, while managing to hit 20 home runs and drive in 88 runs.

Overall, Murray spent three full seasons with the Dodgers from 1989-1991 and a very brief stint at the age of 41 in 1997. His best year came in 1990, when he hit .330 with 26 home runs and 95 RBI. Murray finished fifth in MVP voting that season and was named a Silver Slugger at first base. He went on to play for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Orioles, Anaheim Angels and the Dodgers in six more seasons. Murray finished his career with 3,255 hits and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.