Throughout their storied history, the Dodgers have made several high impact acquisitions. It would be tough to argue, however, that any has been more noteworthy than the 1946 signing of Jackie Robinson, which resulted in the second baseman breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.
Nevertheless, that’s exactly the case that Fox Sports’ Ben Verlander attempted to make. Breaking down the impact of Los Angeles’ blockbuster signing of Shohei Ohtani, the younger brother of 3-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander proclaimed the acquisition of the 2-time MVP “the most important signing in Dodgers history.”
“This means everything. It’s the most important signing in Dodgers history. I have no problem saying that,” Verlander said during Tuesday’s episode of Flippin’ Bats. “It’s the most important, it’s the biggest. I think it will be the most impactful and it’s already impactful. Not on-the-field, but odds-wise, the Dodgers are now the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. They signed Shohei and guess what? That comes along with the territory. You’re now the favorites to win.”
"It's the most important signing in Dodgers history." @BenVerlander breaks down the impact that the Shohei Ohtani-Dodgers deal will have on this season and beyond. pic.twitter.com/TJlbCOKCil
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 19, 2023
While one could certainly argue that Ohtani is the best player the Dodgers have ever acquired, the idea of any signing being more important than Robinson is, frankly, absurd. Not only was Robinson a Hall of Fame player, but his signing was significant for not just the Dodgers, but all of baseball, as well as sports and society at large.
It’s also worth noting that the bulk of Verlander’s point wasn’t about Ohtani’s on-field impact, but rather the historical significance of the Dodgers signing him. From that standpoint, there’s no debating Robinson’s place as the most important signing in not just Dodgers history, but baseball history.
Perhaps Verlander simply forgot about Robinson (although he did reference Babe Ruth in the same segment). Or maybe he was making an unspoken distinction between the Dodgers’ time in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Regardless of the reason for his omission, many were quick to point out the absurdity of his statement.
@BenVerlander @MLBONFOX Not to discredit the Ohtani signing because it is hugely impactful but Jackie Robinson was the REAL Most Important signing in Dodgers’ history. pic.twitter.com/4qFyTj5NLK
— BaseballBanterBroadcast 🎙⚾️ (@banter_baseball) December 19, 2023
Maybe AI taking jobs isn’t a bad thing. pic.twitter.com/FuJFVkPW73
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) December 20, 2023
Jackie Robinson (cough cough)
— Avila Beach🇺🇸 (@AvilaBeach) December 19, 2023
Apparently Dodgers history started in 1958. Nothing happened 74 years prior….certainly not 11 years prior https://t.co/AzTDBFPWkl
— Roy Bellamy (@roybelly) December 20, 2023
The Dodgers quite literally signed the player that BROKE THE COLOR BARRIER https://t.co/j93efZ03gV
— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) December 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/David_Haney11/status/1737311823919996952
The ratio is deserved https://t.co/lN87yWcT27 pic.twitter.com/LysZIJs0Hc
— Kate (@FataleLady) December 20, 2023
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.