Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez will wear No. 18 to honor Oscar Taveras

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez will wear No. 18 next season to honor his late teammate Oscar Taveras, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

"We'll let him honor his friend," Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said.

Taveras, a promising young Cardinals outfielder, was killed in a car crash in late October in his native Dominican Republic. He was 22. Blood tests later showed that his blood alcohol level was five times over the legal limit.

Martinez, who is also Dominican, wore No. 44 last season. He and Taveras had also been teammates in the minor leagues. 

Martinez could wear the number for the rest of his Cardinals career, according to Goold.

- Dan Gartland