4 former Braves that Atlanta wishes it had for 2023 postseason, 1 they're glad to avoid

The Braves are thankful they avoided Joc Pederson

The Braves had rumored interest in Joc Pederson at one point, but the outfielder and his pearls took a pretty major step back this season. Pederson hit just .237 on the year, and failed to supply the kind of power and on-base percentage one would hope from the two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion.

Pederson will always be beloved in the ATL. He and his pearls helped bring a World Series title to Atlanta back in 2021, but he struggled this past season and would have been just as disappointing in Braves colors. If anything, matters would have been even worse given the expectations for a player of his stature and fanfare coming in.

Matters went awry in San Francisco for Pederson, as Logan Webb, the team's ace, noted that he was 'tired of losing' after the Giants failed to make the playoffs this season.

“(The Cy Young is) definitely something I would like to do, but to be honest with you, winning is more fun,” Webb said, per The Athletic. “If we don’t do that, it’s kind of a waste. I’m tired. I’m tired of losing. It’s not fun. We’ve got to make some big changes in here to create that winning culture. We want to show up every single year and try to win the whole thing. I mean, I think we’re there. I don’t know what it is. I’m just sick of losing, to be honest. It’s never fun.”

Pederson would have preferred a move to Atlanta, given what we know now. But by no means was it the right decision for AA to make.