MLP 2026 Free-Agency Draft Set for Feb. 27 with Live Stream

St. Louis Shock paid a record $1.23 million to secure the No. 1 overall pick and bring back Anna Bright at Major League Pickleball’s free-agency draft, which took place February 27 and streamed live on MLP’s YouTube and social channels beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The league staged the draft as a dynamic-bidding auction with no spending cap, and teams used the process to fill openings after keeper selections earlier in the month.

MLP said the 20 teams would fill out 2026 season rosters via the same dynamic-bidding selection process used last year, and TheKitchenPickle noted there were 66 open roster spots to be addressed. The initial 28 selections were explicitly allocated to fill the first two female and first two male roster slots on teams that did not keep at least two of each, resulting in 16 female and 12 male picks among that phase.

Top-10 results and dollar figures reported during the draft included Jorja Johnson to the New Jersey 5s at No. 2 for $800,000, Danni-Elle Townsend to the Columbus Sliders at No. 3 for $180,000, and Lea Jansen to the Texas Ranchers at No. 4 for $105,000. TheKitchenPickle recorded the early bidding battle, noting, "New Jersey and St. Louis were in a bidding war for the No. 1 overall pick. St. Louis eventually won out. Columbus was also in the bidding up until about $600,000."

The middle of the board produced several headline names and price points: Jack Sock went to the Orlando Squeeze at No. 8 for $105,000; Tama Shimabukuro landed at No. 9 for $125,000 with the Utah Black Diamonds; Jonathan Truong went to the Phoenix Flames at No. 10 for $85,000; and Genie Bouchard was taken at No. 23 by the Florida Smash for $20,000. TheKitchenPickle published a full 1–24 list with dollar amounts through those picks.

Some reporting discrepancies remain in the record. Majorleaguepickle Co’s table lists pick 5 as "Jamie Wei" while TheKitchenPickle lists pick 5 as "Ting Chieh Wei" for $75,000; pick 6 appears as "Mariana Humberg" versus "Mari Humberg" at $90,000; and Forbes placed Camden Chaffin at 15th for $35,000 while both Majorleaguepickle Co and TheKitchenPickle show Kiora Kunimoto at 15 and Camden Chaffin at 16. Those inconsistencies appear in the compiled coverage.

Phoenix drew analyst attention for a youth pivot after selecting Jonathan Truong, Camden Chaffin and Judit Castillo Gargallo among others. Forbes wrote, "Phoenix has abandoned their social media star strategy from last year and has fully embraced the youth movement. Their entire team save for Jesse Irvine is young, in some cases really young (Chaffin is just 14!)."

Post-draft roster moves included a confirmed trade involving the Texas Ranchers. Pickleball reported the Ranchers sent Sahra Dennehy, whom they had selected 22nd for $35,000, as part of the revised deal to acquire Sleeth. Pickleball added that "Sleeth is expected to play mixed doubles alongside Oncins, since Jansen/Frazier have been playing together on the PPA Tour so far in 2026," and that "Sleeth underwent hip surgery in December and hasn't competed yet in 2026, but she is expected to be ready to go for the MLP season."

MLP scheduled a draft recap and 2026 season preview show to air live on Pickleball TV on March 1 at 12 p.m. ET with re-airs available, closing the weekend of coverage that began with the Feb. 27 live stream.