NEW YORK -- Despite failing to make the World Series for the first time since 1997, the New York Yankees are raising the price of their best seats by $10, blaming the increase on baseball's labor deal.

The price of the field and loge box seats, which include waiter service, will be $72 per game next season, the team said Friday. The seats, which are available only as part of season plans, had a $65 face value this year but in effect cost $62 because season packages contained discounts.

Starting next year, most seats will have three different ticket prices, with discounts for seats purchased as part of season plans and lesser discounts for individual seats bought before game day. The Yankees said 94 percent of their tickets sold this year were purchased in advance.

"After not raising ticket prices in 2002, the Yankees remain extremely sensitive to economic conditions and are committed to minimizing ticket-price increases,'' said Lonn Trost, the Yankees' chief operating officer. "While our operating costs for 2003 will rise dramatically as a direct result of the new Basic Agreement, we have been able to be creative -- with the advance-ticket-purchase discounts -- and minimized any increases in the prices of tickets available on an individual-game basis.''

New York, which paid $29 million in revenue sharing in 2001 on $242 million in income, estimates it will pay $32 million to $34 million this year on revenue of $226 million. The Yankees drew a team record 3.47 million fans.

Under the new labor agreement, the Yankees estimate their revenue-sharing bill will increase to about $46 million next year and are projecting a $9 million luxury tax payment, which means the payroll for their 40-man roster, including benefits, would be at about $170 million, roughly where it was this year.

Increasing by $10 will be field and loge boxes with waiter service ($72) and main level boxes with waiter service ($58).

Increasing by $5 will be main level infield box ($52), field level outfield box and loge infield box ($47), and main and loge outfield box ($42). Going up by $4 will be upper deck infield box ($37) and upper outfield box ($35). All box seats will cost $2 less if bought in advance and $7 less in purchased as part of season plans.

Main infield reserved increased by $5 to $42, main outfield reserve goes up $2 to $35, with the $2 and $7 discounts also applying.

Upper reserved rises $3 to $20, with a $2 discount if bought in advance and a $5 discount if purchased as part of season plans. Bleachers goes up $2 to $10, also with a $2 discount if bought in advance.

If purchased as part of a season plan, the price of main reserved goes down by $1 and upper reserved and bleachers remains the same.

Upper reserved seats will cost $14 for all Tuesday games, except for May 27 against Boston, and for select Monday-to-Thursday night games in April, May and September. In addition, all upper deck seats will cost $5 on certain dates.

Tickets go on sale Dec. 13. The Yankees open March 31 at Toronto and play their home opener April 7 against Minnesota.

Their interleague games are at home against Houston (June 10-12), St. Louis (June 13-15) and the New York Mets (June 27-29) and at Cincinnati (June 3-5), Chicago (June 6-8) and the Mets (June 20-22). The games at Wrigley Field are the first for the Yankees since the 1938 World Series.