"Tigers are trade deadline losers" - Justin Verlander's brother slams AL toppers for not strengthening major weakness area in squad

Justin Verlander's younger brother, Ben, criticized the Detroit Tigers for the moves they made before the trade deadline. Despite being active in the market for pitchers, he declared them losers for failing to address their biggest concern.

Ben played for the Tigers' minor league teams before becoming an analyst. Though he believes Kyle Freeland in the bullpen is a good acquisition, the Tigers' additions of Chris Paddack, Charlie Morton and Paul Sewald didn't impress him.

He made the comments on Thursday via X. Later, he echoed the same sentiments on his show, "Flipping Bats with Ben Verlander."

"The Detroit Tigers needed offense and didn’t get offense. That will hurt them in the end. They are trade deadline losers," Verlander wrote on X.

Ben Verlander

@BenVerlander

The Detroit Tigers needed offense and didn’t get offense. That will hurt them in the end. ​They are trade deadline losers.

The analyst laments that the team had every ingredient ready to win the World Series, but destroyed their chances with the wayward moves.

"At the trade deadline, you're adding Charlie Morton, Chris Paddack, Paul Sewald?" he questioned [Timestamp 24:16]. "What are we doing? You're a World Series team. Go out there and add one of the bats that's needed, and go out and add a stud starting pitcher."

In his eyes, the front office's moves sent the wrong message to both the players and the fanbase. Verlander's brother pointed out that the current moves insinuate that they don't expect the team to win the World Series despite having the joint-best record in the American League.

Justin Verlander's brother speculates why Tigers' don't make bold moves

Justin Verlander's brother Ben knows some might take his comments the wrong way, as the Tigers are a top-five team in offense. However, he pointed out that the stats don't tell the full story, claiming they are missing a piece. He firmly believes that they should've gone all out for Eugenio Suarez, who joined the Mariners.

Even though he praised underappreciated players like Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, Ben Verlander remains unconvinced that the current lineup can carry the team all the way, particularly as the new additions don't have an X-factor.

Verlander had an interesting theory as to why the Tigers didn't get a big-name bat or front-line pitcher.

"They're a team that I think overvalues prospects," Verlander said [Timestamp 24:18]. "We don't know what they're going to turn into, right? Like, let's use some of that. Windows don't last forever."

The analyst pointed out that the windows don't last forever, citing the Baltimore Orioles as a cautionary tale. While the Orioles looked like a World Series-winning team in recent seasons, they are now all but out of the postseason.

Meanwhile, Justin Verlander's brother hailed AJ Preller, the Padres GM and President of Baseball Operations. Preller roped in big names like Mason Miller and Ryan O'Hearn, whilst giving away their prospects.