Bonilla Joins Leyland in Miami

Bobby Bonilla has decided to play for the Florida Marlins, and he said he picked the Marlins because Jim Leyland is the team’s new manager. Bonilla played for Leyland, the former Pittsburgh Pirate manager, for six seasons.

“He’s a father figure for myself,” Bonilla said after agreeing to a $23.3-million, four-year contract with the Marlins. “He taught me a lot about the game.”

Leyland, who was in Pittsburgh on Friday preparing for his move to Florida, said he always appreciated Bonilla’s work ethic.

“It’s great to be reunited with Bobby,” he said. “He and I have always had a great relationship.”

Bonilla, who turns 34 in February, fills several of the Marlins’ needs. He’s a switch-hitter who will bat behind Gary Sheffield, whose 142 walks last season were second in the National League. And Bonilla is coming off his best season since 1990: He batted .287 with 28 homers and 116 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles.

“We had a problem with people pitching around Sheffield,” Marlin General Manager Dave Dombrowski said. “Now, they’ll be pitching to Bobby Bo.”

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The Colorado Rockies re-signed infielder-outfielder John Vander Wal, a valuable member of their bench, to a two-year contract.

Vander Wal, 30, hit .252 with five homers and a career-high 31 RBIs last season. As a pinch-hitter, he batted .286 (16 for 56) with three homers and 13 RBIs.

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Bob Stanley, on the mound for the Boston Red Sox when the New York Mets came back in the 10th inning to win Game 6 of the World Series 10 years ago, was hired by the Mets to coach their Pittsfield farm team.

Pittsfield is the Mets’ team in the Class-A New York-Penn League.

In 1986, Stanley relieved Calvin Schiraldi with Mookie Wilson at the plate and the Red Sox leading, 4-3. He threw a wild pitch, and then Wilson reached first as Bill Buckner muffed Wilson’s grounder to first, allowing the winning run to score.

The Mets won Game 7 two nights later to take the Series.

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John Valentin, who hit .296 in his fourth season as the Boston Red Sox starting shortstop, has asked to be traded because he doesn’t want to move to third base.

Valentin shifted to third in September because regular third baseman Tim Naehring was hurt and the Red Sox wanted to use Nomar Garciaparra, who was brought up from the minors on Aug. 31, at shortstop. Garciaparra is expected to be the regular shortstop next season.