ATLANTA -- Mike Maroth would've loved to pitch in St. Louis last October. His frustrating 2006 season culminated with being left off the active roster for the postseason, including the World Series. He'll get his shot to pitch there now, but he'll be wearing a Cardinals uniform.

Faced with roster moves upon Kenny Rogers' return on Friday night, and with Nate Robertson and Zach Miner likely returning next week, the Tigers traded Maroth to St. Louis on Friday afternoon for a player to be named later. The move ends a six-year tenure for Maroth in Detroit that has included the lows of a 21-loss season, the highs of a one-hit shutout and the glory of an American League title.

Through it all, Maroth has handled every challenge with class. Friday was no different.

"Looking back, I have nothing but special memories," Maroth said on Friday from Turner Field. "It's been a great experience. I have nothing bad to say about Detroit."

The deal was part of the club's move to finalize its rotation moving forward. Rogers replaced Maroth on the 25-man roster, and Robertson will rejoin the rotation next Tuesday against the Rangers, assuming he encounters no problems in his scheduled side session here on Saturday. Andrew Miller will start on Sunday and is to remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Those choices would have left Maroth out of the rotation had he remained.

"We had to make some moves with our staff," president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "I talked to a few clubs [about Maroth]. The Cardinals were the most persistent, but there were a few clubs that were interested. And in this situation, it was good for Mike. He's done a lot for us throughout his time, and it works out good for him, because they're putting him right in the rotation. It creates a roster spot that allows Kenny to step into the rotation, and then we'll get a player to be named later that we consider a prospect."

That player will come from a list the Tigers and Cardinals agreed upon to finalize Friday's deal. The Tigers will scout the players and make their choice no later than Sept. 15.

Maroth will start for the Cardinals on Monday against the Mets in New York. With that assignment looming, he took his final pitches for the Tigers in a side session on Friday afternoon. He still wore his Tigers warmup jersey as he addressed reporters in the visitors' clubhouse.

"It's an opportunity," he said. "It's a new start somewhere, but I'm just going to do the same thing that I do here. I'll go over there and try to help the team win. I'm not going to change anything about my game."

His game helped the Tigers cope with the 119-loss season of 2003 and dig their way out after that. Maroth was essentially the staff ace on that club in his first full Major League season, taking the mound each turn for a club that didn't give him much chance to win on any given night. He became the first pitcher since Brian Kingman in 1980 to lose 20 games in a season.

The final loss came in Toronto on a September night, one day after his grandmother had passed away. And he took each question from the media after the game.

"Mike Maroth is class personified," Dombrowski said, "he and his wife, Brooke -- the whole family. He's grown into an established Major League pitcher. He's gone through a lot of adversity. He dealt with it front and center. He's first-class in every regard."

Two years after that season, Maroth clinched a .500 record for the first time in his career when he went 14-14 for the 2005 Tigers with a late-season run. He appeared poised to enjoy his best season as a Tiger in 2006, going 5-2 over his first seven starts and helping Detroit to its fast start.

All the while, he was dealing with bone chips in his left elbow. Those problems became too much last May 25 at Kansas City, where he gave up six runs and three homers while retiring just one batter. He went on the disabled list soon after and underwent surgery, derailing his season.

Maroth came back at the end of August, but he couldn't duplicate the stuff to a point where he could return to the rotation. He ended up spending September in Detroit's bullpen before being left off the October roster.

"I was here during the bad times," he said, "but right now, it's nothing but good times. I could have drawn up last year a different way, and the same with this year to this point. But when I look back, I don't think about the bad times as far as the losing. I can only think about all the great memories that I have here."

Maroth, who will turn 30 in August, is 5-2 with a 5.06 ERA this season after rejoining the rotation this spring. He has remained healthy all season, but he has not pitched to teh level he expects, struggling with hits allowed -- 97 over 78 1/3 innings -- and consistency with his pitches. Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty told reporters in St. Louis that the team believes Maroth will improve with time as he moves farther away from surgery.

Manager Jim Leyland said he talked with good friend and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa about Maroth on his way to the park.

"This is a wonderful move for Mike Maroth," Leyland said. "He's going right into the rotation of the World champions."

The move to the National League is expected to work to Maroth's advantage. He has shown an ability to hit in limited at-bats, including a single and an RBI off Curt Schilling back in 2002.

Maroth understands the scenario. But that doesn't make leaving Detroit behind easy.

"I think the hardest part is all the relationships that we've built," he said. "I've said many times that it felt like a second home. I love the city of Detroit."