Giuliani Approves Plan for Stadiums

With less than three days to go before his term ends, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced Friday that he has signed agreements to build new, $800-million domed baseball stadiums for the Yankees and Mets, the city and the teams to split the costs of construction.

The agreements, however, require the signature of Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg.

“The issue is really, can we afford them?” Bloomberg said at a separate press event. “I will have to take a look down the road as the economy develops. Nobody knows today how deep or how protracted the current economic downturn is.”

Giuliani said he did not make the new stadium agreements binding on Bloomberg, because “that’s not the right thing to do.... These new projects need the new mayor’s strong backing.”

He added, however, “I cannot imagine he would decide not to do it,” because Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, both city-owned, are deteriorating and soon will require costly repairs.

“This is a tremendous economic investment for the city,” Giuliani said at a City Hall news conference. “Neither of these stadiums would require any new taxes. This is the way you build a city--this is how we can keep New York growing.”

The proposed deal is sure to arouse controversy, however, because New York faces an expected $4.3-billion budget deficit on July 1--and many observers believe the cost of rebuilding from the World Trade Center attacks should take precedence over the financing of baseball stadiums.

Giuliani unveiled models of the proposed parks. The new Yankee Stadium, to be constructed across the street from the existing ballpark, would have identical field dimensions and parts of the original facade. It would be slated to open in 2007.

The Mets’ new park, expected to open in 2006, would resemble Ebbets Field, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ fabled ballpark that was torn down when the team left for Los Angeles after the 1957 season. The new stadium would be built in a parking lot adjacent to Shea Stadium, officials said.

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The New York Mets acquired outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.

Matthews, 27, started last season with the Chicago Cubs before being waived and claimed by Pittsburgh on Aug. 10.

He batted .245 with five homers and 14 runs batted in in 46 games with Pittsburgh and had a combined .217 average.

The Mets also signed free-agent pitcher John Frascatore to a minor league contract.