MLP Free Agency Draft 2025: The 2025 Major League Pickleball (MLP) Free Agency Drafts will take place on March 2 and March 3, allowing Premier and Challenger teams to complete their rosters for the upcoming season. Using a dynamic bidding process, teams will compete for draft slots and select players from the available player pool. Unlike traditional drafts, there is no spending cap, allowing teams to strategically bid on players to strengthen their rosters.
View this post on Instagram
How the Drafts Will Work
The Premier Free Agency Draft took place on Sunday, March 2, while the Challenger Free Agency Draft will follow on Monday, March 3.
- Premier teams will have six-player rosters (three males, three females). Teams had to declare their keepers from the 2024 season by February 16 and drop at least one player. A total of 40 players were retained, filling the top four roster spots for each team.
- Challenger teams will keep four-player rosters (two males, two females). A total of 13 players were kept, leaving 11 open roster spots to be filled.
Draft Selections and Bidding Process
The Premier Free Agency Draft will include 56 total selections:
- 24 picks to complete the starting four-player rosters for each of the 16 teams.
- 32 additional picks to add bench players to each team.
The Challenger Free Agency Draft will fill 11 open roster spots across six teams.
Teams will bid on draft slots to select players, with a minimum bid of 10,000 draft points per slot until all teams have their top four players (two men, two women). After that, bid minimums drop to 1,000 points for bench player selections.
How to Follow the 2025 MLP Drafts
Fans can track the live draft selections on MLP’s website and social media accounts. A comprehensive draft recap and season preview will air:
- Premier Draft Recap: March 2, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET on PickleballTV, hosted by Dave Fleming and Matt Manasse.
- Challenger Draft Recap: March 3, 7:00 p.m. ET on MLP’s YouTube channel, hosted by Will Daughton and Blaine Hovenier.
Player Eligibility and Team Retention Rules
- Only UPA-contracted players are eligible for selection in the 2025 MLP Free Agency Drafts.
- Players drafted in 2025 Free Agency can be kept by teams in future seasons for a cost equal to the number of Free Agency points spent on their selection, as long as they remain on the roster all season without being dropped or claimed on waivers.
News in Brief: MLP Free Agency Draft 2025
The 2025 Major League Pickleball Free Agency Drafts take place on March 2 and 3, allowing Premier and Challenger teams to finalize their rosters. Teams will bid for draft slots and select from available players, with no spending cap. Fans can follow the live selections and watch draft recap shows on PickleballTV and YouTube.
ALSO READ: Top Men in the MLP Free-Agency Draft: Who’s Getting Picked First?
