Vander Wal spent in San Diego before moving on to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade that brought Al Martin to the Padres. While playing for the Pirates, he posted his best season, appearing in 134 games, and batting .299 with 24 home runs and 94 RBI. In , Vander Wal was traded to the San Francisco Giants, who later traded him to the New York Yankees for Jay Witasick. Vander Wal was a part-time performer for the Yankees in , before moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers in , and the Cincinnati Reds in , where he recorded just 6 hits in 51 at-bats for a .118 average.