Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection Monday in an effort to restructure its debt, court documents showed.

The petition was filed in Delaware by the Los Angeles Dodgers Holding Company under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code.

It lists debts to current and former players including retired star Manny Ramirez, who owed more than $20 million.

The move comes as MLB officials had threatened to take over the team if owner Frank McCourt could not meet the Dodgers' payroll.