3 players Braves could have added on World Series rosters

2. Jordan Montgomery, SP, Rangers

When the trade deadline came and went, it felt as if the majority of Braves fans looked at the minor moves that the organization made and said, "That's it?"

Indeed, Alex Anthopoulos was not particularly active on the trade market. They ultimately added a pair of veteran relievers, Pierce Johnson and Brad Hand, and a utility infielder, Nicky Lopez. Make no mistake, Johnson and Lopez and particular turned out to be great additions while Hand was a bit more hot-and-cold. Yet, it's still hard to look at the moves and not think that they Braves could've gone after a bigger fish.

You know, someone like the Rangers got in Jordan Montgomery.

It was the worst-kept secret in baseball that the St. Louis Cardinals were trying to move Montgomery as a pending free-agent rental for a contender who had performed at least close to an ace with the Red Birds. With the Rangers, though, he's certainly reached that status.

Over 11 regular-season starts with Texas, Montgomery delivered virtually every time out, posting a 2.79 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP, allowing just 74 base-runners in 67.2 innings. And somehow, he's been even better in the postseason. Through five appearances and four starts, he's got a 3-0 record with a 2.16 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.

The Braves pitching staff and depth they'd hoped to had throughout the system had been diminished throughout the year by the time the trade deadline arrived. It was clear to see this was an area to upgrade. Granted, Atlanta would've had to give up a haul. Given what Montgomery has been for the Rangers, though, it still might've been worth it.