2026 MLP Keeper Analysis

💎 TIER 1 — Locked and Loaded

Los Angeles Mad Drops A+

Kept: Ben Johns (1959), Catherine Parenteau (1763), Jade Kawamoto (1756 ↑), Max Freeman (1539)

Dropped: Mehvish Safdar, Wes Burrows

The only team in the league that doesn't need the draft. Johns is the highest-rated male player in our system at 1959. Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto give them elite women's depth, and Kawamoto is trending up hard — she's gained 65 SR™ points this season. They just need two Dreambreaker bodies. Everyone else is fighting for scraps while LA is already built.

Las Vegas Night Owls A

Kept (5): Brooke Buckner (1698), Chao Yi Wang (1619), Blaine Hovenier (1515), Roscoe Bellamy (1620), Liz Truluck (1553 ↑)

Dropped: Brandon French (1458 ↓)

Maximum keepers, minimal drama. French was the obvious cut at 1458 and trending down. Vegas kept their entire core intact — five deep with solid ELO across the board. Buckner at 1698 anchors the women's side. They just need one strong left-side guy and they're a playoff team.

Columbus Sliders A

Kept: Andrei Daescu (1918 ↑), CJ Klinger (1787), Parris Todd (1785 ↑)

Dropped: Lea Jansen (1698 ↑), Ross Whittaker (1414), Marcella Hones

Highest average keeper Sheet Rating™ in the league at 1830. Daescu at 1918 is a monster — second only to Johns and ALW in our system. Dropping Lea Jansen while she's trending up is the one eyebrow-raiser, but the defending champs clearly have a plan. They've got elite men's firepower and Todd is a legitimate top-5 women's player. They need a versatile woman — and they'll have the draft capital to get one.

🎯 TIER 2 — Strong Core, Need Pieces

Dallas Flash B+

Kept: JW Johnson (1797), Hurricane Tyra Black, Augie Ge

Dropped: Jorja Johnson (1787)

The headline drop. Jorja at 1787 with a peak of 1931 is one of the most talented players to ever hit free agency. But this was always going to happen — keeping all three Johnsons was never realistic, and Tyra Black was arguably their MVP last season. JW's mixed doubles Sheet Rating™ of 1948 is absurd. Dallas needs a right-side woman and they'll bid hard for one on the 27th.

New Jersey 5s B+

Kept: Anna Leigh Waters (2071 ↑), Noe Khlif (1711), Will Howells (1535)

Dropped: Meghan Dizon (1642), Mari Humberg (1604)

You build around the best player in the world — ALW at 2071 is in a class of her own. Khlif at 1711 gives them a strong men's anchor. But dropping both Dizon and Humberg means they need to find ALW a right-side partner in the draft. If they land Bright or Jorja... look out. That's a superteam.

Orlando Squeeze B

Kept: Federico Staksrud (1809), Lacy Schneemann (1649), Milan Rane (1594)

Dropped: Dylan Frazier (1727), Allison Phillips (1474)

Staksrud is the anchor at 1809 — he's consistent across all three formats (singles 1815, doubles 1800, mixed 1812). Dropping Frazier at 1727 stings, but they kept their women's core and Fed is the guy you build around. They need a left-side partner for Staksrud who can match his level.

Brooklyn Pickleball Team B

Kept (4): Jackie Kawamoto (1732 ↑), Rachel Rohrabacher (1684), Riley Newman (1613), Hannah Blatt (1413)

Dropped: Pat Smith

Three-deep on the women's side is unusual. Jackie K at 1732 and trending up is their best asset. Rohrabacher has elite peak potential (1855 peak). Newman at 1613 is lower than his name suggests — he needs the right partner to elevate. Blatt at 1413 brings the average down significantly. They need a high-level male doubles player badly.

🎲 TIER 3 — The Gamblers

St. Louis Shock C+

Kept: Hayden Patriquin (1786 ↑), Kate Fahey (1781 ↑), Gabe Tardio

Dropped: Anna Bright (1803 ↑), Judit Castillo (1591)

The counter-argument: Patriquin and Fahey are both trending up and have elite chemistry. Tardio provides the mixed doubles firepower. Maybe they're banking on draft value elsewhere. But if another team drafts Bright... St. Louis just made the rest of the league better.

Chicago Slice C

Kept: Hunter Johnson (1744 ↑), Zane Navratil (1537 ↓)

Dropped: Callie Smith (1553), Carlos Di Laura (1460), Pierina Imparato (1451)

Hunter Johnson at 1744 and trending up is a legitimate building block. But Navratil at 1537 and trending down is concerning — that's a long fall from his peak of 1619. They dropped their entire women's roster. Chicago needs TWO quality women in the draft. That's a lot to ask from one draft night.

Atlanta Bouncers C

Kept: Jaume Martinez Vich (1676 ↓), Kaitlyn Christian (1663 ↑), Jay Devilliers (1638)

Dropped: Rachel Rettger (1402)

Solid but unspectacular. No player above 1700. They kept their core together which provides chemistry, but the ceiling is limited. Christian trending up is the bright spot. They need a right-side woman who can elevate this roster from middling to competitive.

Utah Black Diamonds C

Kept: Etta Tuionetoa (1730), Connor Garnett (1691), Allyce Jones (1587)

Dropped: Tyler Loong (1515 ↓), Yates Johnson (1526 ↓), Chloe Igleski (1453)

Smart drops — all three were trending down. Tuionetoa at 1730 is underrated and Garnett is a solid anchor. They need a right-side guy to complete the men's side.

🔥 TIER 4 — Blowing It Up

Phoenix Flames D

Kept (1): Jessie Irvine (1602)

Dropped: Jack Sock (1639), Tyson McGuffin (1624), Genie Bouchard (1473), Alex Walker (1460), Pesa Teoni (1413)

Full teardown. Five players dropped. The only keeper — Irvine at 1602 — is rated lower than both Sock and McGuffin that they let go. Phoenix is starting from scratch and betting everything on the draft. With five spots to fill, they'll need to be aggressive bidders. This is either visionary or a disaster. There is no in-between.

SoCal Hard Eights F

Kept: Nobody

Dropped: Everyone

Zero keepers. Six drops. SoCal is a blank canvas heading into the draft. They need an entire roster — and they'll be competing with Phoenix, California, and several other teams for the same pool of free agents. The only upside: maximum draft flexibility and presumably maximum budget. The downside: they need to build chemistry from zero with six strangers.

California Black Bears INC

Kept (1): Layne Sleeth (1526 ↓)

Dropped: Michael Loyd (1526), Lina Padegimaite (1538), Martin Emmrich (1591)

New GM Erik Tice is starting fresh. Sleeth is the lone holdover and she's trending down. Emmrich at 1591 was arguably their best player by Sheet Rating™. This is a total rebuild — but with a new GM who knows the league inside and out, maybe that's the point. Incomplete grade until we see what they do on draft night.

Carolina Hogs D

Kept (4): Angie Walker (1497 ↓), DJ Young (1485), James Delgado (1385 ↓), Ava Ignatowich (1328 ↓)

Dropped: Craig Johnson (1404)

The lowest average keeper Sheet Rating™ in the league at 1424. Three of four keepers are trending down. Ignatowich at 1328 is the lowest-rated keeper across all 20 teams. Carolina kept four players but none of them crack the top 50 in our Sheet Rating™ rankings. Jim Kloss called this an "odd move" — the numbers agree.

🏗️ Quiet Builders

Palm Beach Royals B

Kept: Tina Pisnik (1731), Dekel Bar (1626), Sofia Sewing (1495)

Expansion team, so no drops. Pisnik at 1731 with 120 matches is a proven commodity. Dekel Bar brings upside (peak of 1790). Sewing only has 8 matches in our system — small sample, lots of unknown. They need a versatile guy and more depth, but it's a reasonable foundation for a brand-new franchise.

Texas Ranchers C+

Kept: Christian Alshon (1855 ↑), Eric Oncins (1649)

Dropped: Victoria DiMuzio (1452), Wyatt Stone (1472), Felicity Di Laura

Alshon at 1855 and trending up is a top-5 male player. He's their entire identity. Oncins provides a solid second option. But they dropped their entire women's roster — they need TWO high-level women in the draft. If Alshon gets a partner like Bright or Jorja, Texas becomes a dark horse instantly.

Florida Smash C

Kept: Travis Rettenmaier (1520), Martina Frantova (1519 ↓), Cason Campbell (1485)

Dropped: Paula Rives (1421)

No player above 1520. This is a roster built on chemistry over talent — they kept three and only lost their lowest-rated player. Ascending from Challenger, so the bar is different. They need a left-side woman who can elevate the whole squad.

Miami Pickleball Club C

Kept: Alix Truong (1611), Yuta Funemizu (1426 ↓)

Dropped: Eric Roddy (1507 ↓), Juan Benitez (1478), Tammy Emmrich, Tatiana Ruhl (1374)

Four drops, only two keepers. Truong at 1611 is the foundation but Funemizu trending down is a concern. They need a left-side guy and a versatile woman — basically half a roster from the draft.