Major League Baseball announced the allotment of 2016 postseason shares, with the total pool in over $76 million, which is up from $69 million in 2015, and set a new high.
The pool is composed of 50 percent Wild-Card gate receipts, 60 percent of receipts for the first three games of the Division Series, 60 percent of receipts from the first four games of the Championship Series and another 60 percent of gate receipts from the first four games of the World Series.
Among the postseason teams, the World Series champion Cubs earned the highest share with a total of just over $27 million (36 percent of the pool). A full share netted $368,871.59, which is just below the record of $388,605.94 the San Francisco Giants received in 2014.
As American League champions, the Cleveland Indians received $18,390,678.50 (24 percent). The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers received 12 percent for reaching to the LCS, while the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and Giants got 3.25 percent for appearing in the Division Series.
The New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, for losing in the Wild Card Games, each received 1.5 percent of the players’ pool. Each team is permitted to vote on the distribution of their shares.
The Dodgers’ received a total of $9,195,339.25, which is a notable increase from the $7,55,076.02 split when they last reached the NLCS in 2013.
Los Angeles this year issued 65 full shares, worth $123,741.25, 8.285 partial shares and 20 cash awards. Last year the Dodgers split just over $2 million after they were eliminated from the NLDS by the New York Mets.