JUPITER, Fla. -- Long before the Cardinals knew who they were receiving in return, or even would confirm that a deal was in place, Mike Myers knew he was gone. The veteran left-handed reliever cleaned out his locker at Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday morning, bid his teammates farewell and headed out to the parking lot before a players' meeting at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Myers was sent to Boston, where he pitched the final two months of 2004. In exchange for Myers, who will make $600,000 this year, St. Louis received a pair of minor leaguers: left-handed pitcher Kevin Ool and outfielder Carlos De La Cruz.

"It was disappointing when I got the phone call last night," Myers said. "I'm sure I'll be disappointed for a little bit, but I'm sure it will kick in going back, and that will be good. Your mindset is set for pitching for St. Louis. But if they were going to cut me before Opening Day, this is a good thing."

Myers was not a sure thing to make the Cards, despite their unsettled bullpen situation. He was signed by St. Louis in hopes that he could replace the work done by Steve Kline, who departed to Baltimore as a free agent in the offseason. However, Myers got off to something of a slow start early in the spring and never seized control of the competition to be the second left-hander in the St. Louis bullpen, after Ray King.

"I think, and I tried to explain it to [Myers], the first impression was, not sure of the stuff, not sure of the command," said manager Tony La Russa. "And it's possible that he came in as a veteran thinking that he just needed to get ready for April. ... We had some concern about him, and just in our situation, it's tough to make a permanent move.

"If he's there Opening Day, there's no flexibility. And that's why the decision went against him. But he was outstanding here in the last five or six appearances. Yesterday was his best [outing] in a very difficult situation. I think he'll do well for [Boston]. It's just, first impression made us feel uncomfortable with guaranteeing the season."

Myers finished the 2004 season with Boston, helping the Red Sox make the playoffs before they beat the Cardinals for their first World Series championship in 86 years. He made 25 appearances for Boston after the midseason trade, putting up a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings. He did not appear in the World Series, which the Red Sox won in four games.

Over a 10-year Major League career, Myers has appeared in 684 games, putting up a 4.40 ERA in 419 1/3 innings. He has 14 career saves and has pitched in at least 64 games in each of the past nine seasons.