MESA, Ariz. -- Mike Montgomery's versatility has made him the Benjamin Zobrist of the Cubs' pitching staff.Montgomery came to Spring Training as a candidate for the rotation, but his ability to start and relieve has prompted the team to keep him in the bullpen and name Brett Anderson to the

MESA, Ariz. -- Mike Montgomery's versatility has made him the Benjamin Zobrist of the Cubs' pitching staff.

Montgomery came to Spring Training as a candidate for the rotation, but his ability to start and relieve has prompted the team to keep him in the bullpen and name Brett Anderson to the rotation.

"I told [Montgomery] it's his fault for being so versatile," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Friday. "He could be this utility pitcher who is very successful. Although, when he gets the chance to start, he nails it down, too."

Montgomery, who carved a spot for himself forever in Cubs history by getting the save in Game 7 of the World Series, has pitched in 65 big league games and started 23. He handled the news well.

"I feel good about it," Montgomery said. "I'm here to get outs and it doesn't matter when or where it is. ... Either way, it's a win-win for me."

As a starter, Montgomery, 27, is 5-7 with a 4.23 ERA, while as a reliever, he has a 2.10 ERA.

"This team is really, really good," Montgomery said. "Just to be a part of this team is good. To fill a unique role is something I take pride in. It's something I'm excited about. I'll just be the best reliever I can be."

Anderson, 29, will be slotted into the No. 4 spot, so the rotation will be Jonathan Lester , Jacob Arrieta , John Lackey , Anderson and Kyle Hendricks .

"It's not too often you have a salty veteran with multiple rings in front of you and the guy who led the league in ERA behind you," Anderson said. "That's a good problem to have."

Could this be the best rotation in baseball?

"We're up there," Arrieta said. "On paper and what we've actually done on the field, it's tough to not say that, but again, we like the guys we have. You can rank them, people can rank them, but time will tell once we get out there the first four, five times through the rotation. I think you'll probably put a stamp on it then more so than now. We stack up just as well as anybody, for sure."

The Cubs aligned their rotation as they did because they didn't want to have their two left-handed starters, Anderson and Lester, pitch consecutively. Anderson, who won 10 games and pitched 180 innings in 2015 with the Dodgers, missed most of last season after needing back surgery in March. He's happy to be part of any rotation.

"You think all the hard work will pay off and all the monotonous and tedious exercises you're doing will pay off in the long run," he said. "I've been a starter for the most part and that's what I feel most comfortable doing."