Jason Giambi, his representatives and the Yankees worked yesterday toward Giambi being available to the media in New York before the end of the week. It’s possible Giambi will meet with Yankee beat writers and a small group of television and radio types.

While Lisa Cohen, who works with agent Arn Tellem, said a press conference hadn’t been scheduled as of late yesterday afternoon, it will likely take place tomorrow or Friday.

Giambi, whose BALCO grand jury testimony was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle late last year, hasn’t commented on the testimony in which he admitted steroid use. Nor has he addressed accusations by former teammate Jose Canseco that Giambi and Mark McGwire injected each other with steroids when they were teammates in Oakland.

Since the Yankees looked into what they could do to void the remaining four years and $82 million left on Giambi’s contract, Giambi has to be careful what he says on the steroid subject. Even though the grand jury testimony was leaked, it’s not a public admission. If Giambi would do that, he could give the Yankees more ammunition to go after his money. Immediately following the grand jury leak there was heavy speculation Giambi would approach the Yankees about a buyout, but that went nowhere. It likely wouldn’t have been approved by the Players Association if it gathered momentum because of the contract being devalued.

Giambi, 34, is coming off the worst year of his career in which he batted .208 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 80 games and wasn’t part of the post-season roster. He was shelved by an intestinal parasite and then a benign tumor on the pituitary gland.

Giambi has spent the winter working out in Las Vegas and is expected to arrive in Tampa weighing about 240 pounds. That’s five pounds more than he was listed in the Yankees’ post-season guide last October and close to 10 pounds heavier than he was at the start of spring training a year ago when he denied using steroids on the first day of camp.

While talking in New York will defuse some of the circus-like atmosphere that will smother the Yankees’ facility on Feb. 22, the first day of full-squad workouts, it won’t erase it. Because of his honesty with the grand jury while Barry Bonds was evasive, Giambi has become the face of steroid abuse in baseball. He is one of the main reasons the union and owners agreed quickly on a tougher steroid testing policy.

Then there is the question of what Giambi can do on the field, where the Yankees are expecting him to be their starting first baseman and bat in the middle of the lineup.