John Lackey will honor the remainder of his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The guaranteed portion of the five-year, $82.5 million deal that Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 is set to expire at the end of the season. Written into the contract, though, was a club-friendly option that triggered because he missed extensive time with an elbow injury. It was included as protection for the Red Sox, who knew the right-hander had a pre-existing issue with his elbow.

As a result the Cardinals can retain Lackey next season for a salary that should be just a bit over $500,000. 

"I'm absolutely going to [pitch]," Lackey said. "As long as I stay healthy, I'm going to."

The fact that he was dealt plays a role in that decision.

"Obviously, it was case by case," he said. "It would have been a harder decision other places, for sure, but this is definitely somewhere I wanted to be, and I'm excited about it."