A home run or a strikeout? After only six months of ownership, veteran slugger Adrián González — whose glittery career has seen him play baseball for the Boston Red Sox, the L.A. Dodgers, and most recently the New York Mets — has listed an ultra-modern villa in L.A.’s trendy Beverly Grove neighborhood for a touch under $4.7 million, almost $300,000 more than the $4.4 million he paid over the summer for the then brand-new house. Known for a few big hits as a real estate investor, A-Gon may have struck out this time around because, even if he gets his asking price, brokers’ fees are likely to eat up any profit.
Though González plans to walk away from the gleaming, 5,000-square-foot, clean-lined and monochromatic home, which is virtually untouched since he purchased it, there’s a lot to like about the property beyond the five ensuite bedrooms, high-tech home automation system and airy open plan layout. Creamy oversized tiles unfurl the moment visitors step inside, where a study area and bar lead to a small courtyard and deck. Further in, a dining space and lounge area faces a large TV mounted above a rectangular fireplace set into a large slab of charcoal gray marble.
The hip open-plan kitchen is centered around an expansive, waterfall edged center island. A large refrigerator is hidden behind sleek, dark gray panels, while illuminated glass-front cabinets and a golden rectangular light fixture add a touch of glam. Massive floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors provide an unobstructed view of the backyard where a partially covered deck, fire feature, lap pool, spa and tight privacy hedge brings the outside in. The main floor is complete by an enclosed screening room with slate gray walls and a large movie screen.
A floating wood staircase with a contemporary glass and steel balustrade leads to the upper floor, which is also clad in acres of white oak floorboards that extend seamlessly from one room to the next. The master suite is akin to a decent sized Manhattan condo, anchored by a particularly slick three-sided fireplace, which separates the sitting area from the bedroom. There’s a romantic private terrace for starlit snuggling while the boutique-style walk-in closet with glass fronts and dark wood paneling is large enough for González to practice his batting swing. The door-less open bathroom leaves little to the imagination — particularly hazardous where marauding kids are concerned — though the understated polished concrete walls beneath clerestory windows are juxtaposed with stylish fixtures that give the luxe feel of an upscale hotel.
A second staircase leads to an expansive roof terrace that’s large enough to host all of Gonzalez’s former teammates for a cook-out around the built-in grill with wrap-around city and mountain views.
The property is listed with Farrah Brittany of The Agency.
It’s not too much of a surprise that González is looking to sell so quickly as he owns several other homes in southern California, including a historic estate in L.A.’s aristocratic Hancock Park neighborhood that was purchased a bit more than two years ago for $10.5 million. In addition, the couple owns a vaguely Nantucket-style mansion in La Jolla that they purchased way back in 2010 for $7.2 million, and just over a year ago, in October 2019, they hung a $7.699 million price tag on a Tuscan-inspired mansion in San Diego’s Rancho Santa Fe community that was purchased three years earlier from fellow pro baseball player Bret Boone for $6.3 million.