Ben Verlander is a fan of Shohei Ohtani. That much is impossible to debate. And Ohtani, who recently signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is arguably the greatest player of all-time. Nevertheless, Verlander made a claim during a recent segment on his FOX Sports MLB show that has caught the attention of the entire MLB world.

“It's the most important signing in Dodgers history,” Verlander said of Ohtani joining the Dodgers. “I have no problem saying that. It's the most important, it's the biggest, I think it will be the most impactful and it's already impactful.”

So what Ben Verlander is saying, and this isn't an exaggeration given his comments, is that Ohtani's signing, despite the two-way phenom not even playing a single game for the Dodgers yet, is more impactful than Los Angeles signing Jackie Robinson. Perhaps Verlander just didn't think about his words before saying them, or he actually somehow believes that signing Ohtani is more important than Robinson breaking the color barrier not just in MLB, but for all sports.

We get it, Ben, you are one of Ohtani's biggest fans. But this take did not go over well with the MLB world, including former Dodgers star Justin Turner.

MLB world roasts Verlander for Dodgers-Shohei Ohtani claim

“There is no #17 without #42. Come on man. #SMH #JackieRobinson #ComeOnMan #TerribleTake,” Justin Turner wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Jackie Robinson is the most impactful signing in Dodgers history, baseball history, and in the history of professional sports. Maybe @BenVerlander will realize that when Shohei Ohtani is wearing #42 in a Dodgers uniform on April 15th next year?” Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation added.

“I watched that clip 10 times to make sure I didn’t miss something. I don’t know what’s worse, if it’s clickbait or if Ben Verlander truly forgot about Jackie Robinson. Either way it’s a reminder that MLB lacks Black American representation on and off the field,” sports analyst Allen Stiles wrote.

Sports writer LaDarius Brown made an interesting point about the situation.

“If Ben Verlander would have said the Ohtani signing is one of the best signings in Dodgers history, fine with me. To say it was the best ignores the impact Jackie Robinson's signing had on both the Dodgers and all of MLB,” Brown shared.

Brown is correct. Verlander could have easily said that the Ohtani signing was a major move for the Dodgers amid their pursuit of a World Series championship. But calling it the “most important signing in Dodgers history”, while blatantly ignoring one of the most impactful signings in all of sports, is truly unfortunate.