Chicago Cubs: Mike Montgomery seeks consistency more than anything

As the Chicago Cubs continue the free agent waiting game, left-hander Mike Montgomery nears Spring Training, again, without a defined role on the club.

The entire offseason has been a shell of what we’ve come to expect. Instead of rampant moves, signings and trades, we get mere whispers before they dissipate into the air. With the Chicago Cubs still trying to round out the rotation, fans continue to refresh their Twitter feeds several times per minute, hoping and praying for a crumb.

Only to be constantly disappointed.

As it stands, the Cubs enter 2018 with a solid starting rotation. Headlined by Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Jon Lester, the staff has the potential to be among the league’s best. Offseason acquisition Tyler Chatwood, at least now, slots into the fourth spot. Without an acquisition, left-handed swing man Mike Montgomery figures to finally get his shot in Chicago.

"“My goal and my mindset now is to be a starter and get in that routine,” Montgomery told MLB.com. “If something changes, it’ll change. For now, I’m ready to take that starter role.”"

Montgomery made 30 relief appearances and 14 starts for the Cubs in 2017, pitching to a cumulative 3.38 ERA in 130 2/3 innings of work. That total marked his single-season career-high for innings pitched and just the second time he’d ever pitched more than 100 frames at the big league level.