Every Major League Pickleball (MLP) team had to submit their keepers/drops by Sunday, February 16th at 7pm EST. The keeper deadline brought a whirlwind of activity after Trade Window #1, and now we turn our attention to the MLP free agency draft.

To catch up on all of those trades, check out our article detailing, analyzing, and grading the trades:

Now we need to get to which players teams dropped.

Biggest MLP Keeper Surprises

The St. Louis Shock Dropped Kate Fahey

This one is a head scratcher and I don't understand it. Kate Fahey cost $8,500 to keep. Gabe Tardio cost $92,500 to keep.

I think Tardio would have gone for less than Fahey will go. Financially this just doesn't make sense to me.

Fahey is one of the top women that are available in the MLP free agency draft now, and teams looking to add a woman are going to run up the price on her.

The New York Hustlers Dropped Everyone

I thought for sure they were going to drop Jack Sock and Riley Newman, with both costing $275,000 to keep. I just didn't think they would drop Lea Jansen when she was only $77,000 to keep.

The Hustlers made a ton of money in the trade window, so we will see how much they are willing to spend in the MLP free agency draft.

Best Available Women for the MLP Free Agency Draft

There really is a BIG drop off in women's skillsets, because most of the elite women were kept. I think there is going to be a bidding war between 4-5 teams for Lea Jansen and Kate Fahey in the MLP free agency draft.

This is my very early top 10 available women for the MLP free agency draft, based on my opinion.

Best Available Men for the MLP Free Agency Draft

Again, this is just an early top 10 best available men for the MLP free agency draft, based on my opinion, and rumors I have heard throughout the past few weeks.

A Key to My $$$ Rating System for Each Team

I list out "my opinion on each team's spending budget." This is just my opinion, based on speaking with league insiders and trying to get a feel for how much each franchise is willing to spend going into the 2025 season.

The scale is very simple: it is on a 1 to 5 basis, with 1 being willing to spend very little and 5 being willing to spend a lot.

Example: I think the St. Louis Shock is willing to spend a lot of money to win, so they get a $$$$$ in their breakdown.

If a team is listed as $, meaning not spending a lot, I'm not going to list a Lea Jansen as a possible target, as she is going to be expensive and already taken. So instead, I list more realistic options.

Team by Team Breakdown of Keepers, Drops, and Biggest Team Needs

Premier Level Teams

Order of teams is alphabetical

Atlanta Bouncers: MLP Free Agency Draft Targets

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Jaume Martinez Vich, Vivian Glozman, and Todd Fought | Dropped: Emily Cederquist

Biggest Team Needs: A woman who plays the left side in women's doubles.

My opinion on Atlanta's spending budget: $$$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 4 women

Lea Jansen: best woman in doubles that is available
Kate Fahey: Can play both sides and is getting better on the left
Genie Erokhina: very good left sider and has played for the Bouncers before
Angie Walker: good left sider in women's that has played for the Bouncers before

Carolina Pickleball Club

Current Roster Cost: $450,000 | Keepers: Ben Johns, Kaitlyn Christian, Collin Johns | Dropped: Yana Newell

Biggest Team Needs: A woman who plays the right side and a man who plays well in mixed doubles.

My opinion on Carolina's spending budget: $

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 2 women:

Vivienne David: one of the best right side players available
Genie Bouchard: knows Kaitlyn from pro tennis and could learn a ton from the Johns brothers

3 men:

Jay Devilliers: Good mixed doubles player who could sub in for men's very seamlessly, and is a good enough singles player
Michael Loyd: Good mixed player and an elite singles player for Dreambreakers
Noe Khlif: Solid player on both sides with a high floor and working on adding offense

Chicago Slice

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: None | Dropped: Allison Harris, Megan Fudge, Brendon Long, Jack Munro

Biggest Team Needs: Breathing pickleball players

Because the overall level for available women drops off more than the men, I would target picking up two women before getting even one man. My opinion on Chicago's spending budget: $

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft:

For most teams, I have specific players listed, but that doesn't make sense for Chicago, since they don't have anyone on their MLP roster right now. I expect Chicago to wait a while in the MLP free agency draft and play "Moneyball," trying to find some good players who are undervalued.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Chicago start their season with a team that costs less than $100,000 to the league. With Thirty Five Capital owning a majority share of the franchise, I wouldn't be surprised to see players like Eric Roddy or Carlos Di Laura (Chicago's coach in 2024) targeted.

Columbus Sliders

Current Roster Cost: $358,500 | Keepers: Andrei Daescu, Parris Todd, and CJ Klinger | Dropped: Callie Smith

Biggest Team Needs: A woman who plays the left side in both gender and mixed doubles.

My opinion on Columbus Sliders' spending budget: $$ (they've already spent a lot creating this new team)

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 women:

Lea Jansen: good player on either side and can definitely play the left side in mixed very well
Callie Smith: is a good left side player and can play left in mixed. Maybe Columbus drops her to pick her back up?
Victoria DiMuzio: A recently signed UPA player that likes the left side. Would need to train with the top level pros, but if Columbus waits a while to pick a left side woman, DiMuzio could be a good project for the long term

D.C. Pickleball Team

Current Roster Cost: $383,500 | Keepers: Rachel Rohrabacher, Jackie Kawamoto, and Dekel Bar | Dropped: James Ignatowich

Biggest Team Needs: A guy to compliment Dekel Bar. Dekel can play the left and right side well in men's doubles. While Jackie can play the left in mixed doubles, she prefers the right.

My opinion on D.C.'s spending budget: $$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 men:

James Ignatowich: the most obvious answer. D.C. made the playoffs and had a good year last year. The $250k price tag is the reasoning for dropping James, not really his play
Jay Devilliers: Devilliers is playing well right now and can play both sides
Michael Loyd: Loyd is also in Austin and plays a very good left side. Will have to bring his level of play up at the Premier Level, but would be a cheaper option

Dallas Flash

Current Roster Cost: $430,000 | Keepers: JW Johnson, Jorja Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black | Dropped: Augie Ge

Biggest Team Needs: A right side guy.

My opinion on Dallas' spending budget: $$$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 2 men:

Augie Ge: Duh! I know the Flash want to keep Ge. My sources tell me they got multiple high value trade offers for Ge and turned them all down. I'd be surprised if Dallas didn't just pick him up
Donald Young: If, for some unknown reason, the Flash can't get Augie, I think they wait a while and get a cheaper lefty with upside potential. Additionally, Donald brings some energy, and the Flash could use a little more of that

LA Mad Drops

Current Roster Cost: $315,000 | Keepers: Catherine Parenteau, Jade Kawamoto, and Hunter Johnson | Dropped: Thomas Wilson

Biggest Team Needs: A left side guy in both men's and mixed. While Hunter is certainly capable of playing the left in men's, I think his overall game is better when he is on the right.

My opinion on LA's spending budget: $$$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 men:

James Ignatowich: Ignatowich has done well with Jade in previous MLPs, and he is a good left side option. His health is a question mark throughout a whole season
Quang Duong: QD came out of nowhere for the Ranchers, but had to be dropped. He plays a fast-paced, somewhat erratic left side and causes chaos
Riley Newman: Newman and Parenteau used to be partners in 2023, and they broke up, so Catherine could play the beginning of 2024 with Jack Sock. I wonder if they would be willing to play together, because I think he fits nicely on this team, while he also had success with Jade in previous MLP events

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Miami Pickleball Club

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Milan Rane and Eric Oncins | Dropped: Bobbi Oshiro and Noe Khlif

Biggest Team Needs: A woman to play with Millie. Millie can play both left and right side in gender doubles, and prefers the right in mixed doubles. I would think a woman who can play both sides is best for Miami.

A right side guy in men's is also needed, and it could even be a lefty if the woman they pick up will play left in mixed doubles. My opinion on Miami's spending budget: $$ (I don't think they will spend a bunch. They will wait until spending is down below $100k per draft slot to take players. Additionally, I think they like the idea of players living near Miami, and my suggested potential targets reflect this.)

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 women:

Victoria DiMuzio: I have already mentioned her once, but she lives in Delray Beach, has committed to pickleball full-time and has a 5.98 DUPR
Dominique Shaefer: has had success in singles on the PPA Tour, not so much in doubles, but I know she is training full-time and rapidly improving
Hannah Blatt: Blatt is training full-time in Florida now and has been for a while. She has seen rapid improvement and could continue to rise

3 men:

Noe Khlif: Solid player on both sides with a high floor and working on adding offense. Played for Miami and had to be dropped because he was picked up off waivers. Miami may want to run it back
Roscoe Bellamy: Roscoe was drafted by Miami in 2024, and dropped in the first waiver period. He has ties to the club and has gotten significantly better since early 2024
Ryan Fu: James Ignatowich's protégé is probably better on the right side and lives in the Delray Beach area, and could practice with most of the team regularly

New Jersey 5s: MLP Free Agency Draft Targets

Current Roster Cost: $450,000 | Keepers: Anna Leigh Waters, Zane Navratil, Will Howells | Dropped: Amanda Hendry (Mari Humberg was traded away at the last second by NJ)

Biggest Team Needs: A woman to play with Anna Leigh.

My opinion on New Jersey's spending budget:

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: There are really only 3 women I could see here:

Lea Jansen: best woman in doubles that is available and has played on the 5s with Anna Leigh before
Kate Fahey: Could the 5s go after the Shock's drop? This would be a very interesting get
Vivienne David: the best pure right sider available and a top 10 right sider in all of pickleball

New York Hustlers

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: None | Dropped: Riley Newman, Jack Sock, Lea Jansen, and Susannah Barr

Biggest Team Needs: Breathing pickleball players (Yes, I made the same joke twice.)

Because the overall level for available women drops off more than the men, I would target picking up two women before getting even one man. My opinion on New York's spending budget: $$$ (Even though they dropped everyone, I do know they made a TON of money in the trade window, so they have some cash to spend.)

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft:

I actually think they may target all three players they dropped. I think both Jack and Riley can be had for much less than their original cost to keep ($275k apiece). I just don't think there is any chance NY gets Lea back because she is definitely going to be a top 2-3 MLP free agency draft pickup, in my opinion.

Orlando Squeeze

Current Roster Cost: $398,000 | Keepers: Federico Staksrud, Dylan Frazier, and Lacy Schneemann | Dropped: Vivienne David

Biggest Team Needs: A right side woman.

My opinion on Orlando's spending budget: $$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 women:

Vivienne David: the Squeeze could definitely pick Viv back up. I have her as the third best available woman, but she may go for more than the $140,000 it was going to cost to keep her. Time will tell
Lea Jansen: best woman in doubles that is available and could fit in with the current team
Kate Fahey: Fahey makes a lot of sense with the Squeeze as well. She brings a little fire, while Lacy and Dylan are a little quieter

Phoenix Flames

Current Roster Cost: $306,000 | Keepers: Meghan Dizon, Tyson McGuffin, and Jessie Irvine | Dropped: Jay Devilliers

Biggest Team Needs: A left side guy to pair with Tyson.

My opinion on Phoenix's spending budget:

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft:

Quang Duong: Rumor has it Quang is headed to Proton in two months, after his Selkirk sponsorship is over. This would make a ton of sense
Donald Young: I know, I know. I said left side guy. But Donald is one of Proton's best sponsored players, so he would make sense here
Jay Devilliers: He can play a very good left side and compliments Tyson well. They might get him cheaper than what it was going to cost them to keep him

SoCal Hard Eights

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Erik Lange, Irina Tereschenko, and Judit Castillo | Dropped: Max Manthou

Biggest Team Needs: A left side guy to pair with Erik.

My opinion on SoCal's spending budget: $$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft:

Jay Devilliers: Jay could easily fit the need of SoCal. He is moving well after his knee surgery last year. He is a veteran and this team is mostly made up of vets, so he seems to fit
Jack Sock: Sock made the playoffs with the Hustlers last year and he does play the left exclusively. He might be a cheaper option than some of the higher priced left side guys this time around
Michael Loyd: He can play a very good left side and likes to create chaos. He has a very similar game to Max, who Erik has been playing well with up until this point

St. Louis Shock

Current Roster Cost: $490,000 | Keepers: Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, and Gabe Tardio | Dropped: Kate Fahey

Biggest Team Needs: A woman to play with Anna.

My opinion on St. Louis' spending budget:

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: There are really only 2 women I could see here. That is, unless Anna Bright, who has a knack for finding female talent (Rachel Rohrabacher and Kate Fahey), thinks she has another player in mind.

Kate Fahey: The Shock could just go back and get Kate if they don't care about cost
Lea Jansen: best woman in doubles that is available and has played well with Hayden in mixed doubles in 2024

Texas Ranchers

Current Roster Cost: $491,500 | Keepers: Christian Alshon, Etta Wright, and Tina Pisnik | Dropped: Quang Duong

Biggest Team Needs: A guy to compliment Christian Alshon. Alshon is one of the most versatile players, being able to play the right and left at a high level.

My opinion on Texas' spending budget: $$$$

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 men:

Quang Duong: QD came out of nowhere for the Ranchers, but had to be dropped. He plays a fast-paced, somewhat erratic left side and causes chaos. They may look to run it back
Riley Newman: Newman and Alshon played very well for D.C. in MLP in 2023. Maybe they could find that magic again?
James Ignatowich: I don't think Ignatowich and Alshon really get along, but I could be wrong on that. If they could get past the personality conflicts, I think they could be a formidable team

Utah Black Diamonds

Current Roster Cost: $99,500 | Keepers: Connor Garnett, Tyler Loong, and Alix Truong | Dropped: Genie Bouchard

Biggest Team Needs: A woman to play with Alix who can play the left side in mixed with Tyler.

My opinion on Utah's spending budget: $

Potential Targets in the MLP free agency draft: 3 women:

Genie Bouchard: She has gotten so much better in the past year and if she continues to take it seriously, could actually be a good option
Callie Smith: I guess Utah could get Callie back after trading her away toward the end of the year? Her and Alix were not a good women's team, though
Genie Erokhina: Plays a good left side in women's doubles and could probably do so in mixed

Challenger Level

Note: No potential targets are listed because we won't know who is available until after the Premier Level draft.

Bay Area Breakers

Current Roster Cost: $9,000 | Keepers: Allyce Jones | Dropped: Jill Braverman, Collin Shick, and Martin Emmrich

Brooklyn Aces

Current Roster Cost: $54,500 | Keepers: Andrea Koop, Mari Humberg, Daniel De La Rosa | Dropped: Blaine Hovenier

California Black Bears

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Lina Padegimaite, Rafa Hewett, and Layne Sleeth | Dropped: Brandon French

Florida Smash

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Travis Rettenmaier and Martina Frantova | Dropped: Donald Young and Christa Gecheva

Las Vegas Night Owls

Current Roster Cost: $11,500 | Keepers: Pablo Tellez, Brooke Buckner, and Zoey Wang | Dropped: Chris Haworth

Nashville Pandas

Current Roster Cost: $0 | Keepers: Ewa Radzikowska | Dropped: Stefan Auvergne, Tammy Emmrich, and Michael Loyd

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MLP free agency draft and how does it work?

The MLP free agency draft is how teams fill their rosters after the keeper deadline passes. Teams select from the pool of players who were dropped or not retained, bidding within their allotted budget based on how much they chose to spend on keepers.

Why did the St. Louis Shock drop Kate Fahey despite her low cost?

Fahey's keeper cost was just $8,500, making the Shock's decision one of the biggest surprises of the MLP keeper deadline. The most likely explanation is a budget reallocation toward other priorities, though it now sets up a potentially expensive bidding war in the pro pickleball draft.

Who are the top available women heading into the 2025 MLP free agency draft?

Lea Jansen and Kate Fahey are widely considered the top two women available, with multiple high-budget teams expected to compete aggressively for both. There is a notable drop-off in talent after those two, which will likely drive their prices up significantly.

How does the $$$ rating system work for each team's spending budget?

The ratings run from $ (spending very little) to $$$$$ (willing to spend a lot), and reflect one insider's read on each MLP roster's financial posture heading into the MLP free agency draft. A team rated at $ will have more modest, realistic targets listed, while a $$$$$ team is expected to pursue the top available names.

Can a team re-draft a player it previously dropped?

Yes, teams can target players they dropped in the MLP free agency draft, and several teams in this breakdown are expected to do exactly that. The Dallas Flash and Columbus Sliders are both seen as likely to pursue players they recently dropped, provided the price is right during the pro pickleball draft.