Cardinals' Martinez to wear No. 18 next season to honor Oscar Taveras

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez will sport a different uniform number next season to honor the late Oscar Taveras, a friend and teammate who died along with his girlfriend in a car accident in October.

"We'll let him honor his friend," general manager John Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Martinez, who will wear No. 18 next year.

Martinez, who grew up close to Taveras in the Dominican Republic, may opt to wear the number for the rest of his career. The 23-year-old is expected to land a rotation spot with the Cardinals in 2015, and Mozeliak remarked that his performance in winter ball suggests he's "pitching with a purpose."