Former Dodgers star Justin Turner CLOWNS analyst Ben Verlander for calling Shohei Ohtani as “most important signing in Dodgers history”

Ben Verlander find himself in hot waters for his controversial take on Shohei Ohtani following Japanese star's mega money move.

Former Dodgers star Justin Turner CLOWNS analyst Ben Verlander for calling Shohei Ohtani as “most important signing in Dodgers history”

Justin Turner (L) Shohei Ohtani (C) and Ben Verlander (R) [Image Credit: AP/Houston Chronicle]

The hype around Shohei Ohtani‘s mega move to the Los Angeles Dodgers continues. Following the Japanese star’s move to the National League side, several experts have criticized this as a bad move for baseball. Analyst Ben Verlander, brother of Justin Verlander, has been super excited about this move.

The Fox Sports analyst has praised the American League MVP on several occasions. At this point, fans have eventually starting calling him an “Ohtani fanboy“. Recently Verlander broke down the impact of the signing Ohtani can have and labeled him as the “most important signing in Dodgers history“.

In his take on Ohtani, Verlander said:

This means everything. It’s the most important signing in Dodgers history, I have no problem saying that. It’s the most important, it’s the biggest and I think it will be the most impactful and it’s already impactful.
Ben Verlander on impact of Shohei Ohtani’s signing through Fox Sports.

These words of him were not well received by the baseball community. Former Dodgers star Justin Turner had joined in on the fun and compared his pitching stats with Ohtani during his move before. However, he did not seem pleased with these words from the analyst and took a shot at him.

Justin Turner attacks Ben Verlander for controversial take

At the moment, Shohei Ohtani is arguably the best baseball player in the world. His performances in 2023 saw him claim several accolades including his second unanimous American League MVP award. Whether he is the most important signing in the Dodgers’ history has now become a point of conversation following Ben Verlander’s recent take.

As Verlander dropped this claim, several fans popped up the name of the legendary Jackie Robinson. The MLB Hall of Famer is regarded as one of the most impactful players in the MLB for his work in breaking the color line. His move to the Dodgers (called the Brooklyn Dodgers at that time) was seen as an end to racial segregation of black players.

Justin Turner and Ben Verlander
Justin Turner and Ben Verlander [Image via LA Times/Sportsnet]

The impact Robinson had on the game is unparalleled to any. He is honored every year as the MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day on April 15. On this day, every player wears the No.42, the number Robinson donned, on their backs. Pointing this out with the message of “#TerribleTake“, Turner wrote:

There is no #17 without #42. Come on man.
Justin Turner in his reply to Ben Verlander on X.

Several fans have since joined the former Dodgers star in attacking Verlander for this take. The post has amazed over 10 million views on X. The analyst now finds himself in hot waters and is likely to face some more demeaning messages for his choice of words in the upcoming days.

In case you missed it: