"It all started with Shohei Ohtani" - Justin Verlander's brother educates critics on Dodgers rise as top player destination

The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued their offseason spending spree following their World Series triumph over the New York Yankees in October last year.

However, LA's spending spree has not gone down well with opposition fans and critics, alleging the Dodgers are "ruining" baseball. While the Dodgers are one of the big spenders this offseason, Justin Verlander's brother Ben, an MLB analyst, believes it's not just the money that is attracting top free agents.

On the latest episode of "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander," the analyst said (10:00 onwards):

"Players want to play in Los Angeles. That's the thing about being a free agent. Put yourself in their shoes, right? Players are literally taking less money. Tanner Scott signed with the Dodgers, he had multiple offers for more money and more years, but he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Why? Because what the Dodgers are offering is the chance to play with the greatest player of all time (Shohei Ohtani) and when you can do both of those things, why would you go anywhere else? Why?

"If you're a player that's set to make x amount of millions, why would I take three million more at another place when I can go play with the greatest player of all time and win? The Dodgers have created a place to play, and it all started with signing Shohei Ohtani."

Justin Verlander's brother justified Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract with Dodgers

Ben Verlander also highlighted the criticism Dodgers faced when they signed Shohei Ohtani to a blockbuster $700 million deal last offseason.

"If you remember a year ago this time, everyone saw $700 million for Shohei Ohtani, saying, 'This is crazy; no players are ever worth that.' Well I hope people now understand why that is the case, why players are worth it. And we've seen this since the beginning of time. It's not about that one player and what they bring It's about what that means to an organization and what that shows to other players."

While Shohei Ohtani was the headline act of the Dodgers' offseason spending in 2023 that included Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernandez, one-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell was a statement acquisition for LA this offseason.

Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim and Teoscar Hernández followed Snell to the NL West team in the offseason. Over the last seven days, the Dodgers have added considerable depth to the pitching staff by winning the race for coveted Japanese ace Roki Sasaki and All-Star closer Tanner Scott.