Kevin Youkilis and Leslie Mintzer

Former Boston Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis inked a $12 million, one-year deal last year to fill in as third baseman for injured Yankee Alex Rodriguez for the first half of the Major League Baseball 2013 season. Now, he’s looking to make a less controversial deal.

The Ohio native, whose star turns on the baseball field inspired Sox fans to chant “Yoouuuk!,” is looking to rent a Downtown Manhattan spread for the duration of his contract with the Yankees, The Real Deal has learned. He has enlisted the help of Brown Harris Stevens broker Leslie Mintzer in his search, sources said. [more]

The New York Mets’ Citi Field Stadium in Queens has, as yet, failed to receive a final certificate of occupancy and sign-off from the city, because a number of its retail spaces remain vacant, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sources state the heavily industrial neighborhood as a reason for difficulty in filling the spaces.

It’s a similar story for the Yankees who have failed to gain approval from the Public Design Commission, a body that views permanent works of art, architecture and landscape architecture proposed for city-owned property, for the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. They haven’t even filed for approval, but a spokesperson was keen to clarify that the team has not been bypassing regulations; a spokesperson told the WSJ that they’d be filing shortly…. [more]

Yankees pitcher Rafael Soriano rents four units in RiversEdge (the unit depicted is not his)

The Yankees most expensive off-season acquisition, right-handed pitcher Rafael Soriano, finally moved into his new digs last week at the RiversEdge building in Weehawken, N.J. Soriano signed leases for four rental units in the building, one for him, one for his assistant, one for his trainer and chef and another reserved for his sisters who travel from the Dominican Republic to games frequently, for a total of $15,000 a month according to the Keller Williams’ sales associate who brokered the lease, Gershon Adjaye.

Adjaye, who recently brought his Gersh Group under the Keller Williams umbrella, has brokered sales and rentals for several athletes before — he would only name former Nets’ guard Jeff McInnis, but never a Yankee. … [more]

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz is pushing for a luxe new hotel atop one of Yankee Stadium’s new cash-strapped parking garages that would help the developers repay investors and draw additional tourists to the area, according to the Daily News. The three, underused garages, built with the help of $70 million from the Empire State Development Corp. and $237 million in bonds issued by the city’s Economic Development Corp., haven’t been generating enough revenue on game days to cover bond payments. Last September, Bronx Parking Development had to raise rates and dip into its reserve fund to make a $6.9 million payment, and now, another April 1 payment is looming. … [more]

The owner of the parking garages for the new Yankee Stadium is expected to default on a $6.8 million interest payment come April 1, which could result in a seizure by bondholders, Crain’s reported. The city’s Industrial Development Agency issued $237 million in tax-exempt construction bonds to the owner, Bronx Parking Development, in 2007, but revenues have been far lower than expected since the stadium opened as fans have sought cheaper parking elsewhere or opted to take the train to games. Last year, the company said the 9,000-space facilities have been, at most, 60 percent occupied on game days, leaving it without enough cash to service the bonds. … [more]

The Yankees are making a play for another Times Square shop. The baseball franchise just inked a 15-year deal at the landmark 1501 Broadway, also known as the Paramount Building, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to Newmark Knight Frank’s Jeffrey Roseman, who represented landlord Paramount Leashold LP in the deal, the new, 2,000-square-foot space will be a team store when it opens a few months from now, selling Yankees paraphernalia and game tickets. … [more]

Clockwise from top left: Curtis Granderson signs autographs for fans, the indoor rock climbing wall at 515 East 72nd Street, outside 515 East 72nd Street, and (from left) Jim Sheehan, Curtis Granderson and Loretta Bradbury at the event

Yankees center-fielder Curtis Granderson headlined an event last night at the site of his current New York crash pad, 515 East 72nd Street, a new condominium which is revamping its image now that it has ended its association with the Arizona-based resort and spa, Miraval. Residents at the condo formerly known as Miraval Living, which started sales in 2007, have waited a long time for the building’s much-hyped spa facilities to open. The sponsor, River Terrace Apartments, has a new spa operator lined up and plans to announce it to residents within the next few weeks, the sales team told The Real Deal. In the meantime, Granderson appeared to provide a welcome distraction…. [more]

Images from the Gate 2 demolition (source: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

After ongoing efforts by historians and preservationists to save the famed “Gate 2″ at the former Yankee Stadium, the structure was demolished, according to NYC Park Advocates, a non-profit park advocacy group. Although the city design commission had vetoed saving the gate when it filed its official plans for the demolition, Yankee enthusiasts had lobbied almost up until the day of demolition. The former Yankee Stadium is being transformed into playing fields for the community, a concession made in exchange for taking 25 acres of parkland to build the new stadium. NYC Park Advocates and other community groups had opposed saving the gate, according to a statement from the advocacy organization. TRD… [more]

From the South Florida Web site: The New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez is reportedly close to contract on a $12 million house on North Bay Road in Miami, according to the New York Post. The third baseman, who calls a 2,367-square-foot apartment 15 Central Park West home for $30,000 per month while in the city, also toured a 30,000-square-foot $57 million waterfront mansion on posh Indian Creek Island during his South Florida house hunt. Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima and her husband, basketball player
Marko Jaric recently bought a $9 million pad on Indian Creek Island,
which is also home to Carl Icahn and Julio Iglesias.
Last year, A-Rod slashed $5 million off the listing price of his $14.9 million waterfront Coral Gables estate.