Avila remained in that position, and also served as the school's athletics director, until he joined the expansion Florida Marlins' front office in 1992.
[3] Avila served as the interim general manager for the Marlins during the 2001 off-season following Dave Dombrowski's departure to the Detroit Tigers.
[4] On January 23, 2002, Avila was hired as a special assistant to Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield.
[6] On August 4, 2015, Avila was promoted to general manager and executive vice president of baseball operations, after Dombrowski was released by the Tigers.
[10][11] At the time of his firing, Avila was the only general manager of Latin American descent in Major League Baseball.