2025 Major League Pickleball (MLP) owners, general managers (GMs), and other key personnel are gathering for crucial meetings at UPA headquarters in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday. The final details for the 2025 MLP season are expected to be solidified during these discussions, particularly concerning player roster changes, salary structures, and the upcoming event schedule.
What We Know So Far
A few key details have already been revealed about the 2025 season:
Open Trade Window: Before teams declare their roster decisions, there will be an open trade window. This period will allow teams to trade players, which is especially important for teams that may not want to drop any players.
Instead of simply releasing a player, a team could offload a player for cash, adding some flexibility to their decision-making process. Although the exact dates for this trade window are not yet confirmed, it is expected to last several weeks to a month.
Keeper/Drop Deadline: Following the trade window, teams will face a deadline to decide which players they are keeping and which they are dropping. This deadline will come shortly after the trade period concludes, likely giving teams a week or two to finalize their decisions. However, the exact timing of this deadline remains unclear.
Bidding Waiver Event: After the keeper/drop deadline, teams will participate in a bidding waiver event to finalize their rosters. The first event of the 2025 season is scheduled for April 24-27, so it is expected that the waiver event will occur in mid-to-late March, allowing teams ample time to prepare before the season begins.
Dropped Players and Waiver Opportunities
There are some assumptions regarding how the waiver event will work. Specifically, teams that drop a player during the keeper/drop process will likely have the opportunity to re-acquire that player through the waiver event.
For example, the St. Louis Shock, with their talented roster of Anna Bright, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio, and Kate Fahey, may need to drop a player. If they choose to release Fahey, they could potentially bid for her during the waiver event and bring her back onto the team.
While these details are still to be confirmed, the structure outlined so far promises to offer teams greater flexibility in managing their rosters and preparing for the 2025 season.
What to Expect After the Meetings
The MLP owners meetings are expected to finalize the structure of the trade window, the keeper/drop deadline, and the waiver event. Fans and players will be waiting eagerly for any official announcements that provide further clarity on these key details.
The decisions made during these meetings will shape how teams approach the season and how they manage their rosters leading up to the first event in late April.
News in Brief: 2025 Major League Pickleball
The MLP owners meetings are taking place in Dallas to finalize the 2025 season. Key decisions will include an open trade window, keeper/drop deadline, and a waiver event for team roster management. Teams may have the chance to re-acquire dropped players during the waiver event.
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