MESA, Ariz. -- You would have had to excuse Mike Montgomery if he hadn't exactly celebrated the recent signing of Yu Darvish. But even though Darvish is taking his spot in the rotation, Montgomery can’t fault the Cubs for grabbing the right-hander when they had the chance.

“I knew we were in the market,” Montgomery said as Cubs camp opened this week. “I wasn’t surprised. He makes our team a lot better. I’m excited.”

Montgomery might be decidedly less excited to return to his job as a long reliever/spot starter. He handled the split role well during the 2017 regular season before running out of gas in the playoffs, when he posted an ERA over 16.62 in just 4.1 innings of work. Then came the offseason, when Montgomery publicly stated he wanted to shed his hybrid role and become a full-time starter. That won’t be happening anytime soon -- at least not with the Cubs. And not with a rotation that includes Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, Tyler Chatwood and now Darvish.

“I don’t regret saying any of that,” Montgomery indicated. “I was very honest with the team, and I’ll be honest with the fans as well. That’s the best way to handle it.

“I know I’m going to get my starts throughout my career.”

Montgomery knows he will get starts again in 2018 because the team has promised him as much. He’s going to prepare as a starter during the spring and expects the Cubs to use a six-man rotation at some point. Injuries may also give him an opportunity.

Last year, Montgomery pitched in 44 games, starting 14 and finishing 11. He had three saves to go along with 130⅔ innings pitched and was the only pitcher in baseball to log at least 130 innings and record multiple saves.

Clearly, there aren’t many hurlers who can claim that kind of workload and, for now, he’ll have to accept that role again.

“He’s caught in a situation right now where that opportunity doesn’t present itself every fifth day,” manager Joe Maddon said.

“We’ve been consistent with our message to him. We haven’t hidden anything. It hasn’t been sugarcoated. We’ve always kept him in the loop, and I think that’s why he can accept it as willingly as he does. No one has tried to pull the wool over his eyes.”

Montgomery said that honesty has helped him, but better rest between appearances might be more important. His manager hears that message as well.

“We have to be mindful of how we piece this whole thing together so we utilize him to maximum ability when he’s starting,” Maddon said. “We can’t beat him up so badly to the point where he does run out of gas. I have to be mindful and careful.”

And Montgomery has to speak up. After a start, he may need extra time before returning to the bullpen.

“It comes from me not wanting to pitch in every possible opportunity,” Montgomery said. “I have to understand my arm and what’s smart so I’m healthy or close to 100 percent in October.”

New teammate Brandon Morrow understands Montgomery’s situation. Their cases aren’t exactly the same, but there was a time when Morrow had to go back and forth between reliever and starter earlier in his career.

“There was one month when I did that, and that was actually the month where I struggled most in my career,” Morrow explained. “It’s tough, especially if your heart is in one place, and you’re in a different role that you want to be. You know you’re going to give your all when you’re out there, but you may not be fully vested into being a reliever or whatever.”

After Montgomery sounded off in December, some may have questioned if his heart was still into being a Cub. Now that spring training is here, Montgomery is saying all the right things about being a good teammate. The Cubs appreciate that as well.

“Winning another World Series kind of trumps every personal goal,” Montgomery stated. “Going through that is bigger than anything.”

Maddon responded: “The fact that he really wants to be here and fits in so well, and understands exactly what’s going on, and is able to put his ego in the back pocket for the good of the team, it doesn’t happen all the time. Give him credit.”

Of course, there is a worst-case scenario for Montgomery, which is a best-case for the team: Their top-five guys are all fresh and pitching well without much need for rest or have a turn being skipped. The Cubs, and Montgomery, will cross that bridge when they come to it.

“My goal is to be a starter and win another World Series,” Montgomery said. “Maybe those two can go hand-in-hand.”

Perhaps it’s the guy who took Montgomery’s place that might go the furthest toward making that second championship a reality.

“My role is what it is right now,” Montgomery said of moving to accommodate the addition of Darvish. “I know what it is.”