Philadelphia missed out by not adding Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Turning back to moves that would have been nice to see the Phillies make, the Cardinals were another surprise seller this year thanks to a dumpster fire of a first half. Gaining a quality starting pitcher as well as an excellent reliever in the same deal would have been fantastic for Philadelphia and that is exactly what the Cardinals sent to the Rangers in Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton.
Montgomery had a pretty strong argument as being the best rental starting pitcher available on the trade market alongside Lucas Giolito. Stratton may not have been the sexiest reliever, but his peripherals are sound and he would have added some real depth to the already strong Phillies bullpen.
What is even more puzzling about this one is that this feels like a deal that the Phillies could have easily matched or bettered. The package Texas sent to St. Lousi included a pitching prospect that is currently dealing with a shoulder injury, an utility infield prospect in Saggese who is having a nice year in Double-A, and a reliever with a 5.79 ERA this season. Philadelphia could have matched that without causing themselves too much difficulty in the long-term. Either the Phillies weren't enamored with Montgomery for whatever reason or the Cardinals liked Texas' prospect package better than most.
In any case, this is a move that would given the Phillies a better starter than the one they ended up with in Lorenzen plus a really solid a reliever. It sure seems like they missed out here.