We need a name for this thing. The Bud Protectorate? Something Oliver Cromwell-ish seems to fit. I’ll think about it.
Anyway, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has been told that his payroll will be unaffected while MLB runs the Dodgers and that things will be business as usual. Which makes sense given that there are set commitments and sunk costs and stuff.
The real question will be what happens if the Dodgers contend and there is a competitive argument for increasing payroll in some way sometime this summer. Major League Baseball allowed the Rangers to take on Cliff Lee last year, but at least then there was a new owner in the Greenberg/Ryan group waiting to step in and pay those expanded costs back to MLB. It could still be a while for someone new to come on the scene in L.A.
In any event, Gurnick reports that Colletti has been contacted by two other GMs who have been through this before -- Omar Minaya and Jon Daniels -- who have given him encouragement and advice. Note to Ned: listen more to Jon on this one. Trust me.