One of the oddest things that happened this offseason was the negotiations, or lack of, between the Braves and Joc Pederson. As we all remember, Atlanta acquired Pederson after Ronald Acuña went down with a torn ACL. It was a dark time in Braves Country, but Pederson immediately changed that with his actions both on and off the field. He had grown men rocking pearls, for God’s sake. It seemed like a no-brainer for the Braves to want him back, but Pederson opted out of his contract and signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Giants.
I have to think the reason we never heard anything about the negotiations is because Pederson made it clear to the organization that he wasn’t going to re-sign. He’s from Northern California and probably wanted to go home, but that’s never been confirmed, and Pederson had nothing but glowing remarks about Atlanta when he returned earlier in the season.
To tease Braves fans even more, Joc Pederson’s last three posts on Instagram have all been from last year’s World Series run.
Not that there’s anything to this….BUT outside of his latest family photo, Joc Pederson’s last three posts all involve him in a Braves uniform. pic.twitter.com/bZQ5If4wf5
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) October 20, 2022
Now, I’m not going to put too much weight into what a player posts on his social media. To me, this feels more like Pederson is referring to how much he misses postseason baseball rather than playing for the Braves. However, I’m not saying there couldn’t be some underlying meaning here, and if he likes playing in October, he knows where to go.
To this day, I’m not sure what exactly happened between Joc Pederson and the Braves last offseason, but Pederson will be a free agent again this Winter, and the Braves should be reaching out to his agent. Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario cannot be relied on to start next season in left field, and Pederson is coming off an All-Star campaign. He would be a welcomed addition on the field, but even more importantly, the loose vibes he brought to the clubhouse when the stakes were the highest were sorely missed during Atlanta’s postseason run this year. If Pederson has any interest in coming back down south, the Braves would be fools not to entertain a reunion.
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