The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

Not really anything but a little gossip, but I thought I would pass it along:

Mets ace Johan Santana and Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, New York City's two richest baseball players, could soon be neighbors in the same posh upper East Side building.

A-Rod is in contract to buy a $13.5 million penthouse on East End Ave. in the same glass tower where Santana is looking to put down at least $7.5 million for his own sprawling pad, real estate sources told the Daily News yesterday.

"I don't see why A-Rod and Santana can't live in the same neighborhood," said Yankees fan Danny Dix, 47, who has an apartment near the building. "I have a couple of friends who live in the neighborhood who are Mets fans, and we're getting along."

Santana was spotted at the not-quite-finished building recently with an interior decorator, going over plans for a fifth-floor condo, construction workers at the site said yesterday.

A-Rod has been eying the building since last summer, when he was first seen visiting the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom penthouse.

Neighbors said the 20-story, 106-unit building near E. 88th St. and overlooking Gracie Mansion and Carl Schurz Park would be perfect for the two family men.

"It's got the park. It's got the river. It's quiet. It's a haven," said local resident Susan Berry, a nutrition counselor.

The building features a fully equipped gym, a squash court, a golf simulator, a billiards room, a playroom for kids and a 40-seat movie screening room.