MLB players' pool reaches 3rd-highest total of $80.8M

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- MLB teams who made it to the postseason this year split a players' pool of $80.8 million, the third-highest amount in history, the league announced Tuesday.

The players pool comes from 50 percent of gate receipts from the wild-card games, and 60 percent of the first three games of the division series, and first four games of the league championship series and World Series.

The league then divides that pool up among the 10 teams who play in the postseason, with higher totals for teams who make it the furthest.

The biggest share of the pool goes to the World Series champions Washington Nationals, with $382,358 going to each player for a total of $29 million. Houston Astros players each take home $256,030 for a total of $19.4 million.

The New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals each split $9.7 million among players, the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays each split $2.6 million, and wild card runners-up Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics each split $1.2 million.