By Sean McAdam
CSNNE.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- How much money did the Red Sox make last season?
An exact figure is difficult to determine. The Red Sox, of course, are privately owned and, like the 29 other Major League Baseball clubs, aren't in the habit of opening their books and disclosing their profits andor losses.
But using some guidelines and formulas, and some information from team president and CEO Larry Lucchino, it's a good guess that the team had about 255 million in revenues for 2010.
How do we know this? Lucchino said Friday that the Red Sox paid in 85 million to baseball's central fund, the second-highest total in the game after -- you guessed it -- the New York Yankees.
(That figure doesn't include another 1.3 million the Red Sox were assessed in luxury tax payments for exceeding the payroll threshold.)
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, which expires after the current season, all 30 teams pay one-third of their revenues into the central fund. This applies to the biggest-market clubs like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs, along with the small-market teams such as the Pirates, Brewers and Royals.
Boston Red Sox
Naturally, the Sox and Yankees pay a much higher figure than do their small-market brethren. And, of course, the small market teams get big payouts in revenue sharing in return, while the Red Sox and Yankees do not.
Using the formula established, if the Red Sox paid 85 million, it stands to reason that they made about 255 million.
Though they're not been as vocal about it as the Yankees, Red Sox owners would like a change in the new CBA. They would like a new formula for computing the revenue-sharing assessment, and some assurance that small-market teams are actually investing their revenue-sharing windfall, and not pocketing the money to improve their bottom line.
Sean McAdam can be reached at smcadam@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Sean on Twitter at http:twitter.comsean_mcadam