The 2026 MLP season has entered its final planned waiver periods, allowing teams to make strategic roster moves by swapping out current players for UPA-signed, MLP non-rostered players. This process involves teams submitting bids of at least $1,000 for the opportunity to make waiver claims, with the selection order determined by the bid amounts in descending order.
Waiver Period Details and Rules
During each waiver period, teams that make a waiver claim must pay the bid amount to the league for each claimed player. If a team decides not to make a claim, they will not owe the bid amount but will also forfeit their chance to make a selection during that waiver period. Only players under UPA contract and not currently on an MLP roster are eligible to be claimed. Notably, players claimed on waivers in 2026 will not be eligible to be kept in future years, and waiver slots cannot be traded.
The rules also specify that any player dropped from a roster to make room for a waiver claim will be eligible for another team to pick up during the same waiver period. The selection process repeats in each round until all teams choose not to make a selection.
The article outlines the results of the waiver periods that have occurred so far in the 2026 MLP season, including:
- 2026 MLP Waivers Period 5: This period saw the Miami Pickleball Club claim Anderson Scarpa and waive Zane Ford, the California Black Bears claim Craig Johnson and then Martin Emmrich while waiving Joey Wild and Craig Johnson, respectively, and the Orlando Squeeze claim Greg Dow and waive Martin Emmrich.
- 2026 MLP Waivers Period 4: The Phoenix Flames claimed Alli Phillips and waived Hsiang (Albie) Wen-Huang.
- 2026 MLP Waivers Period 3: Several teams made moves, including the Palm Beach Royals claiming Casey Diamond and placing Grayson Goldin on IR, the Florida Smash claiming Connor Mogle and waiving Travis Rettenmaier, the Miami Pickleball Club claiming Zane Ford and waiving Luc Pham, the Texas Ranchers claiming Rafa Hewett and waiving Matthew Barlow, and the Texas Ranchers also claiming Angie Walker and waiving Marcela Aguila Ampon.
- 2026 MLP Waivers Period 2: This period included a trade where the California Black Bears acquired Connor Mogle from the Carolina Hogs in exchange for Michael Loyd. The waiver claims included the Miami Pickleball Club claiming Rika Fujiwara and waiving Ava Cavataio, the Chicago Slice claiming AJ Koller and waiving Tom Protzek, the Carolina Hogs claiming Nicole Conard and waiving Alli Phillips, the California Black Bears claiming James Delgado and waiving Connor Mogle, and the Texas Ranchers claiming Marcela Hones and waiving Genie Bouchard.
- 2026 MLP Waivers Period 1: The Dallas Flash claimed Hsiang Wen-Huang and waived Angie Walker, and the Carolina Hogs made two claims, first for Abbigail Hatton and waiving Ava Ignatowich, and then for Connor Mogle and waiving James Delgado.
These waiver periods reflect the strategic maneuvering of teams in the MLP as they adjust their rosters in pursuit of competitive advantage. The process allows for significant changes and can impact the outcome of the season, as teams seek to strengthen their lineups with available talent.
