Baseball superstar Ichiro Suzuki is on the hunt for a new home base. The latest addition to the New York Yankees recently hired celebrity broker Adam Modlin to help find an apartment here for the remainder of the baseball season, sources told The Real Deal today.
Suzuki, 38, donned pinstripes for the first time on Sunday, after spending his 12-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. The 10-time All-Star, who was traded earlier this month, made history as the first Japan-born Major League position player.
With only a couple of months left in the season, Suzuki is rumored to be looking for a rental not far from Yankee Stadium, although he hasn’t ruled out buying once he is settled, sources said.
Modlin, who co-founded the luxury boutique firm the Modlin Group, was an obvious choice for Suzuki. Along with representing stars such as Justin Timberlake, Modlin has built a niche clientele among the city’s professional athletes, including Suzuki’s teammate, Alex Rodriguez, and retired Yankees catcher Jorge Posada. Modlin declined to comment on Suzuki’s plans.
He and his colleague, Marisa Sargent, are handling the listing for Posada’s full-floor unit at the Seville, at 300 East 77th Street, first listed in December for $11.5 million. Earlier this month, Posada cut the price for the 5,600-square-foot five-bedroom to just under $10 million, according to Streeteasy.com.
In January, Modlin helped Rodriguez flip his unit at the Rushmore, at 80 Riverside Boulevard, for $6.6 million, just 10 months after the Yankees slugger bought it for $5.5 million.
Other Yankees have recently signed leases in Manhattan. In April, pitcher Hiroki Kuroda rented a penthouse on West 52nd Street for $19,570 per month, and earlier this month centerfielder Curtis Granderson traded his apartment on East 72nd Street for a one-bedroom rental at the Laurel condominium at 400 East 67th Street.
A representative for the Yankees did not respond to a request for comment.