The 2024 Major League Pickleball (MLP) marked the first time in history where the league had a full regular season with a playoff championship. Not only was 2024 the inaugural full season, but the players drafted could be kept for up to three years by one team, for the first time. 

Players staying on teams for multiple years is a model that helps teams build a loyal fan base for not only a team, but also for the star players of that team. It is a model that works throughout all team sports. 

On the flipside, because the league is so young and growing at a rapid pace, in order to ensure a level of parity, the league has implemented forced player drops. Each year, the dropped players are entered into a pool of players eligible to be drafted.

In 2025, the keeper deadline was Sunday, February 16th, at 7pm EST. Two weeks later, the 2025 draft took place, on Sunday, March 2nd. 

Some Big Surprises in MLP Keepers and Drops

Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced all the keepers and drops ahead of the 2025 season. This article details all the changes and provides insight as to which players teams will be targeting in the upcoming free agency draft on Sunday, March 2nd.

The Dink Pickleball Erik Tice

Although MLP has not announced these dates for the 2026 season, the rules regarding player keepers and drops are known.

The 2026 keeper rules will make for very interesting decisions being made by team General Managers. Let’s get into the action.

Rules Governing Player Keepe... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/a-way-too-early-look-at-the-mlp-offseason-who-has-to-be-dropped/