Canseco Can Hit the Wall : Baseball: Red Sox acquire slugger from Rangers for Otis Nixon and minor leaguer.

Jose Canseco and Fenway Park appear to be made for each other. Now, the slugger and the ballpark will be united.

Canseco, a right-handed power hitter, was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Texas Rangers on Friday for center fielder Otis Nixon and minor league third baseman Luis Ortiz.

Should the baseball strike be settled, Canseco will be taking aim in April at Fenway’s “Green Monster,” the 37-foot-high wall 315 feet down the left-field line.

In June, Canseco showed how he could tame the monster. He had four home runs, three doubles and 10 runs batted in during a three-game series between the Rangers and the Red Sox.

“I’ve always thought Boston lacked right-handed power hitters,” Canseco, 30, said during a telephone news conference from his home in Miami. He said that at least two of his home runs in that June series would have been outs in other ballparks.

Red Sox Manager Kevin Kennedy, who coached Canseco in Texas before he joined the Red Sox in October, said he plans to use Canseco as a designated hitter, although he will be available as an outfielder.

Canseco hit 31 home runs with 90 RBIs in 111 games of the strike-shortened season. The former American League most valuable player and rookie of the year batted .282 and stole 15 bases.

Canseco said Kennedy was a prime factor in his decision to join the Red Sox. Kennedy was fired by Texas on Oct. 12, exactly two months after the strike began, and was subsequently hired by the Red Sox.

Nixon, 36 next month, said he believes he still has considerable mileage left in his legs, noting he had 42 stolen bases in 103 games of the strike-shortened season. He was on pace to break Boston’s record of 54 steals set by Tommy Harper.

“I really enjoyed playing in Boston, but I’ll tell you, it won’t take me long to get used to Texas,” Nixon said during a separate telephone news conference from his home in Atlanta. “I talked with (the Rangers) when I was a free agent.”

Canseco has one year left on his contract, calling for $5.1 million. He said he hopes to finish his career in Boston but said he wouldn’t discuss a contract until after the strike is settled.

Boston also is thought to be seeking Houston’s Steve Finley to replace the void left by Nixon’s departure.

There was speculation that the Rangers wanted a pitcher along with Nixon, possibly reliever Ken Ryan or starters Gar Finnvold or Nate Minchey. But Minchey was traded Thursday to St. Louis for second baseman Luis Alicea while Texas, with a 5.45 ERA that was the second-worst in the majors, was said to be close to signing free agent starter Kevin Gross.

“We feel that this deal is the first step in attaining our goal of improving the defense and pitching of the Texas Rangers,” General Manager Doug Melvin said. “Otis Nixon provides us with a legitimate leadoff hitter with the potential of stealing 50 bases and with an outstanding defensive center fielder. Luis Ortiz was one of Boston’s top prospects who give us additional depth in the infield.”

Canseco has had a notable history at Fenway Park. He missed half the 1993 season after injuring his elbow in an ill-fated pitching appearance in Boston.

A few years earlier, the Red Sox fans chanted “Ster-oids, Ster-oids” at Canseco, playing right field at the time. He played to the crowd and became somewhat of a fan favorite.

Canseco was traded by Oakland to Texas on Aug. 31, 1992.