TIME FOR MIKE CHECK
LEFT- HANDER MONTGOMERY MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE WANTS TO BE A STARTER
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Cubs left- hander Mike Montgomery is clear about at least one thing: He doesn’t want out of Chicago.
But he’s even more serious about another: He wants out of the Cubs’ bullpen.
Montgomery, whose ability to fill in effectively in the rotation to cover injuries was a big part of last year’s playoff appearance, didn’t refute a report Tuesday night that he wanted to start in 2018 or wanted to go someplace else where he could.
“I don’t have a lot of say in that. They have control of my rights and my contract,” he said by phone Wednesday. “I’m not going to say trade me or else. I just want them to know I am serious about starting.
“I’ve always been team first. But I don’t know if the role I’ve been doing the last few years is physically in my best interest. Going back and forth is really tough to do. I don’t think it’s much more than that.”
Montgomery, one of the more likable and respected players in a close- knit clubhouse, has been an important linchpin for the pitching side of the Cubs’ success the last two seasons as a swingman.
“I love Chicago. It’s been unbelievable the last two years,” he said. “I want to stay there, the rest of my career if possible. It’s not a matter of being unhappy. It’s just a matter of I want to be a starter and [ have] proven I can do it and want the opportunity.”
Because of Montgomery’s track record, the Cubs don’t consider his comments detrimental.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere near that,” team president Theo Epstein said. “If he were a selfish person or a bad teammate or someone who wanted to try to put himself completely before his 24 teammates, we’d have a problem. But that’s not who he is.
“I believe in Mike Montgomery,” added Epstein, who said Montgomery will be stretched out as a starter next spring before any decision is made, regardless of whom the Cubs add.
“He’s a team player. He’s a member of this organization in good standing. I think he’s added a lot to our culture, and he’s someone that we have a good relationship with.”
Montgomery, who recorded the final out of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series for his first career save, has made 21 starts for the Cubs since being acquired in a trade from Seattle in July, 2016. He’s 6- 6 with a 3.86 ERA in those starts, and he has a 2.35 ERA in 72 relief appearances with the Cubs.
That included 14 starts last season, including six impressive innings in September to beat the Rays and Chris Archer, one of several pitchers linked to the Cubs in their search this winter to acquire starters that would be slotted ahead of Montgomery in the pecking order.
Epstein, who plans to call Montgomery to talk about the issue, acknowledged the difficulty in the swingman role.
Regardless, Epstein said, the team’s needs come first, even if they don’t always align with the player’s.
“This may evolve into one of those times,” Epstein said. “And he will have to wear it. And his day will come — it might just not be right now. But I don’t think this is one of those times because I don’t look at a five- man rotation as being in stone.”
He said a six- man rotation, for at least part of the season, is a possibility.
Montgomery just knows he’s ready to be a full- time starter.
“I’ve made it clear to anyone I’ve talked to,” said Montgomery, who went into the offseason viewing free- agent departures from the rotation as opportunities for 2018 that weren’t there the last two years.
“I don’t know if the opportunity is maybe as much as what I’ve been looking for,” he said. “They’re the team. They get to make the decisions. . . . I know I can be a starter in this league.
“I don’t want to be in a situation where I come into spring training and deserve a spot and it’s not there because of other contracts they’ve brought in.”
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“I’ve always been team first. But I don’t know if the role I’ve been doing the last few years is physically in my best interest. Going back and forth is really tough to do. I don’t think it’s much more than that.” Mike Montgomery, on being a swingman for the Cubs