MLP Teams Who Could be Making Moves - and the Players They Could be After
I know it is way too early in the Major League Pickleball season to be making trade and waiver predictions, but this is what I do.
We are only one event into the season, with MLP Washington D.C. on the horizon.
MLP Washington D.C. is important because directly after the event, the first waiver period will take place. As announced in the Competition Structure Update, the first waiver wire will take place on June 19-20.
The Premier Level will go Wednesday and then Challenger Level teams will complete waivers on Thursday. I doubt any Premier Level teams will be dropping players to pick up any players who currently aren’t on a team. However, I do expect some Challenger Level teams to do so.
Just a reminder, teams are allowed to trade players at any time throughout the season up until the trade deadline, which is September 29th, the last day of MLP Virginia Beach.
Erik Tice
Teams Who are Sitting Pretty
Premier Level
St. Louis Shock - 12 pts, 5 matches played, 2.4 pts per match
The Shock took a big risk drafting Kate Fahey and it paid off already in MLP Atlanta. Fahey performed admirably in her MLP debut and really helped the Shock in Dreambreakers, winning 69 percent of her singles points. Switching Hayden Patriquin to the No. 1 singles slot really paid dividends as well. This team is off to a great start and should be formidable all season as currently constructed.
D.C. Pickleball Team - 8 pts, 4 matches played, 2 pts per match
D.C. lost their first match and then never looked back. The chemistry and firepower is there and they are looking to take momentum into their "hometown event."
New Jersey 5s - 6 pts, 3 matches played, 2 pts per match
The 5s have a ridiculously good Dreambreaker team. They are really scary because Zane Navratil didn’t win any of his games and wasn't at his best in Atlanta. Once he and Will Howells start gelling and he gets used to playing more with Mari Humberg, I don’t know how this team loses.
Challenger Level
Bay Area Breakers - 12 pts, 6 matches played, 2 pts per match
Vivian Glozman, Collin Shick, Patrick Kawka, and Rachel Rettger played great. Glozman had the second highest win percentage in Dreambreakers in all of Challenger Level. The Breakers look to be firing on all cylinders and don’t play in D.C.
Brooklyn Aces - 6 pts, 3 matches played, 2 pts per match
The Aces are scary because they only won 33 percent of their gender doubles matches - look out if they can figure that out. They won 67 percent of the mixed doubles matches, however. Look for them to continue their winning ways in D.C.
Teams Likely Not Looking to Make a Move
- Dallas Flash (Premier) - 7 pts, 4 matches played, 1.8 pts per match
- Texas Ranchers (Premier) - 6 pts, 4 matches played, 1.5 pts per match
- LA Mad Drops (Premier) - 4pts, 3 matches played, 1.33 pts per match
The biggest question mark with LA was Hunter Johnson, and he more than showed up in Atlanta, winning 83 percent of his matches and 67 percent of his Dreambreaker points against the other team’s top player.
Frisco Pandas (Challenger) - 7 pts, 4 matches played, 1.8 pts per match
Before we get into the nine teams I think could be making moves in the next two weeks, let’s review the players who are not playing MLP in 2024, for a variety of reasons:
Teams That Could Be Looking to Make Moves
Challenger Level
Miami Pickleball Club - 5 pts, 4 matches played, 1.25 pts per match
Roster: Milan Rane, Rianna Valdez, Roscoe Bellamy, Eric Oncins
The Miami Pickleball Club went 2-2 in Atlanta. The team struggled and got unlucky with the schedule, playing the powerhouse Bay Area Breakers twice on the weekend. The first meeting went to a Dreambreaker, where the Breakers somehow managed to win, 21-4, the most lopsided score I have ever seen in MLP.
Eric Oncins and Milan Rane won three of their four mixed doubles matches. Rianna and Milan won two of their women’s doubles matches and the guys only managed to win one of four gender doubles matches. Roscoe Bellamy had the worst stats on the weekend for Miami, winning only one of his eight doubles matches, and averaging -4 points per match. Yes, he had to face Max Manthou, Collin Shick, and Jaume Martinez Vich in Dreambreakers, but Bellamy won 11 of 32 singles points, a 34 percent win percentage.
Who They Target: Johnny Goldberg is the GM and I don’t see him making roster changes after one event. For sure Rianna and Milly are safe. Eric played good enough in his debut to continue getting playing time. The only player I could see Miami dropping is Bellamy, but he has so much upside, I don’t see that happening just yet.
If Miami does drop Bellamy, I could see them trying for another young player to mesh with the already young team. Since the team is based in South Florida and wants players from there, William Sobek and Jack Foster come to mind. However, these are both young players who are not signed by the UPA, and I think Bellamy still has the edge over them. The only other player I could see them going for is Michael Loyd, but he is in Texas, and I think Miami is trying to keep their team local.
Atlanta Bouncers - 5 pts, 4 matches played, 1.25 pts per match
Roster: Jaume Martinez Vich, Genie Erokhina, Todd Fought, Angie Walker
The good: The Bouncers went to a Dreambreaker in all four of their matches.
The bad: The Bouncers lost three of their four Dreambreakers.
Fought was probably the MVP of the weekend for the Bouncers, followed closely by Jaume Martinez Vich. Fought and Martinez Vich won three of their four men’s matches. Fought and Erokhina really saved the day for the Bouncers, winning 100 percent of their mixed doubles matches.
Angie Walker had a rough start to her MLP career, losing every women’s doubles match, and only one mixed doubles match with Jaume Martinez Vich. Walker held her own in Dreambreakers, winning 44 percent of her points - not the best, but not terrible. Erokhina was bad in Dreambreakers, winning 11 of her 34 points for a 32 percent win percentage, but she also had to play against Erik Lange in one Dreambreaker as well.
Who They Target: The guys are set and so is Erokhina. Walker is the only player who could be replaced right now for the Bouncers. Genie can play both the left and right side in gender doubles, so there are plenty of possibilities out there. Here are five women who the Bouncers could target:
- Alex Walker - Yes, Angie’s sister. When they play together, Alex plays on the right, so maybe she would be a better fit if Erokhina wants to play the left. Walker is a signed UPA player.
- Christa Gecheva - Just had a good run in the APP Women’s shuffle, plays a great, steady right side and is very good in singles. Gecheva has played MLP before at the Challenger Level and her play of late has been great. Gecheva is unsigned.
- Shelby Bates - A very good APP Tour player who has MLP experience at the Challenger Level. Bates can play left and right side, and she is a very good singles player as well. Bates is unsigned.
- Cass Hoag - Hoag has some results against Premier Level players in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles on the PPA Tour within the last year. She has mostly played the APP Tour in 2024, with better results in gender doubles than mixed. Hoag is unsigned.
- Daria Walczak - Walzcak started making a name for herself in the Arizona Pickleball League. Daria and Patrick Kawka (Bay Area Breakers) earned a silver medal at the APP Sacramento. The former Drake tennis standout has a ton of power and is good in singles. It would be interesting to see Walczak and Erokhina together, as their game styles are similar. Walczak is unsigned.
Florida Smash - 4 pts, 3 matches played, 1.33 pts per match
Roster: Travis Rettenmaier, Tammy Emmrich, Pat Smith, Martina Frantova
The Smash went 1-2 on opening weekend, winning their match against the Hard Eights 3-1, and losing in a Dreambreaker to the Breakers. This was a disappointing weekend for the team I labeled as the one of the best in Challenger Level.
Rettenmaier, an owner of the team and the captain and leader, was sick during the event. Even with the sickness, Rettenmaier still managed to win 67 percent of his matches - winning two of three men’s and two of three in mixed doubles. Pat Smith could not find a win in his mixed matches, going 0-3, losing 17-25 with Martina, 19-25 with Martina, and 20-25 with Tammy. Smith is going to have to figure out his mixed doubles game for this team to have more consistent results.
Jason Flamm
Who They Target: If I were the Smash, I would stay still until after Washington D.C. Rettenmaier being sick really affected the team, and they still have time to make improvements. Three matches in the grand scheme of things is only 13 percent of the season and they have four matches in D.C. to redeem themselves. I expect this team to turn things around in D.C., going 3-1 and picking up at least six points and keeping the team together. If they do poorly again in D.C. then my tune changes.
So Cal Hard Eights - 6 pts, 6 matches played, 1 pt per match
Roster: Irina Tereschenko, Erik Lange, Christine Maddox, Max Manthou
This team and their results were WILD in MLP Atlanta. I am so glad I am not Adam Stone, their coach and GM. I don’t really know what to take away from Atlanta. The guys won five of their six men’s matches and the ladies won three of six.
Mixed doubles was horendous, with every single player having a negative point differential. Maddox and Lange lost all six of their mixed doubles matches, with Manthou and Tereschenko only winning half of their six. The team even switched it up during one match and lost both mixed doubles games. On paper this is a really good team – in reality, very underwhelming.
Additionally, we found out the team is not good at Dreambreakers. The Hard Eights went to three Dreambreakers. Manthou did OK at best, winning 13 of 32 points, for a -6 point differential. Lange was terrible in singles, which was shocking because he did so well last year for the Chicago Slice at the Premier Level in some crunch-time situations. Lange won 7 of his 27 (26 percent) singles points and even got to play Genie Erokhina in one of his matches and still managed just 7 points total. Maddox was the star of the show in singles, usually going up against the other team’s top female, and had a +3 point differential, even though she went up against Todd Fought in one match.
- Who they Target: This is really tough for So Cal. They are not playing in MLP Washington D.C., so they don’t get anything else to evaluate. They played six matches in Atlanta and are now more than 25 percent of the way through their season and only have 6 points – they need to turn things around in a hurry.
I know this sounds crazy, but I think if I am the So Cal Hard Eights, I might just stay put. Stone is a very good coach and hopefully can figure some strategies out to get the mixed teams going. Even though I don’t see the Hard Eights dropping any of these players for a free agent, a trade is not out of the realm of possibility.
Premier Level
Utah Black Diamonds – Has Not Played Yet
Roster: Jay Devilliers, Callie Smith, Tyler Loong, Alix Truong
If they haven’t played yet, why would they be looking to make a change? Jay took a nasty spill from a high ankle sprain in the PPA Vizzy Atlanta Slam and had to withdraw.
In the good news department, Jay posted on X on May 28th, “I look forward to seeing you guys on court for Sacramento!” The PPA Sacramento Open is the week before this event, so we should know something then.
If Jay is good to go, then Utah won’t make any changes before MLP Washington D.C.
Erik Tice
If Jay can't go for MLP Washington D.C., Utah will place Jay on IR, and have to pick up a guy for the event. They would be looking for a guy who can play a good left side in mixed doubles, as Loong is a lefty.
If Jay has to sit out this one event, here are the three most viable options:
- AJ Koller - Koller had a hamstring injury early in the year and is getting back into full-time play. The former hockey player has previously played for the Black Diamonds, so they are familiar with each other. Koller has a tendency to be very streaky, which could play to Utah’s benefit in a "one event" type situation.
- Patrick Kawka - Isn’t he already on a team? Yes he is. However, Kawka plays for the Bay Area Breakers and they don’t play in the Washington MLP event. Kawka may cost the Black Diamonds some cash for the weekend long loan, but he may be worth it. They need a left-side guy that preferably has a good drive and can play well in mixed – Kawka meets those standards. In addition, he would already have a ton of chemistry with the team, as he was college roommates with Loong and has played together with him before.
- Michael Loyd - Loyd is another great option from the waiver wire pool. Jay’s replacement would most likely play with Loong and Truong. Both of those players do well with hard hitting and chaos, which Loyd brings a ton of. He has a very good topspin drive, good hands, and very good athleticism. He wouldn’t cost the Black Diamonds any cash because he is not on a team currently and is a UPA signed player. Loyd is another streaky player that when he is hot – even at the Premier Level – he can bring the heat.
Orlando Squeeze – 3 pts, 3 matches played, 1 pt per match
Roster: Federico Staksrud, Vivienne David, Parris Todd, Tyson McGuffin
I will first say this: the Squeeze definitely got a little unlucky with scheduling. They had to play both the Texas Ranchers and St. Louis Shock, losing to both.
The ladies really struggled, losing all three gender doubles matches, 16-25, 23-25, and 18-25. Viv and Parris are both very good players in their own right, but they are usually both right-sided players. This forced Parris to move and play the left side with Viv, where she isn’t super comfortable.
In mixed, Tyson and Viv were able to win two out of three, while Parris and Fed only got one win. In men’s the guys were only able to win one match.
Who They Target: I think Tyson and Fed will find their groove because of their chemistry from playing together with the Miami Pickleball Club in 2023. If the Squeeze make a change, I think they look to trade Parris or Viv for a woman who is more comfortable on the left side.
Both ladies have ties to the LA Mad Drops (Viv with Thomas and Parris with Hunter), but that trade doesn’t make any sense for the Mad Drops because Jade is a lefty.
If the Squeeze are looking to find a trade partner, they will find one at least willing to talk in the AZ Drive. The Drive has the opposite problem as the Squeeze, so a move could be mutually beneficial. Lacy Schneemann and Kaitlyn Christian are both more comfortable on the left side in women’s doubles.
In this case, I think the Squeeze would try to get Lacy Schneemann in exchange for Parris Todd. Some cash may be necessary either way, depending on how desperate each team is to make the deal. Schneemann and Vivienne David have played together and done well and so have Tyson and Schneemann.
AZ Drive – 4 pts, 4 matches played, 1 pt per match
The Drive had an extremely underwhelming tournament on top of the paddle scandal involving Andrei Daescu. There are three glaring problems for the AZ Drive right now:
- Andrei’s fine and suspension - We won’t address this now, because AZ isn’t playing in the MLP Washington D.C., but we will discuss who they pick up as his replacement closer to the Mid-Season Tournament. Daescu's suspension will keep him out of MLP action until MLP Salt Lake City, July 25-28.
- Dylan and Andrei only won 1 of 4 men’s doubles matches, which you just can’t do as the 5th and 13th overall draft picks. Sure, they can lose every once in a while, but they need to be winning at least 80 percent of their men’s doubles matches. I don’t see a viable option of trading here – these guys just need to get better together. Some people have said trade Dylan for Gabe Tardio – I don’t think there is any way the Shock entertain that idea – they are smooth sailing right now.
- The ladies both like playing the left side. Lacy and Kaitlyn only won one match as well – again, it’s only three matches. The Drive could definitely think they have a great team in the making and let them gel some more and not go for a change. However, as previously mentioned, I think a Schneemann for Parris Todd trade could possibly benefit both teams.
NY Hustlers – 3 pts, 4 matches played, 0.75 pts per match
Roster: Jack Sock, Jackie Kawamoto, Lea Jansen, CJ Klinger
Easily one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Atlanta, they just didn’t have the wins to go along with the entertainment. Jack Sock and CJ Klinger both only won 25 percent of their gender doubles and mixed doubles matches, for a 25 percent overall win percentage. Jackie and Lea were able to win 50 percent of their matches.
Klinger showed some unbelievable talent and skill, but with some inconsistency.
Who They Target: To be honest, I don’t think the Hustlers do anything to the team prior to MLP Washington D.C. The team looked like they were having a great time playing with each other and maybe just need a little more time. They have six matches slated for D.C. and could really turn the tide around after that event.
One trade possibility, even though I don’t see it happening: Klinger for Shick – Jack gets his friend to play with him and Bay Area is still extremely dangerous at the Challenger Level.
Columbus Sliders – 4 pts, 4 matches played, 1 pt per match
Roster: Riley Newman, Meghan Dizon, Connor Garnett, Brooke Buckner
I can’t imagine a scenario where the weekend could have gone worse for the Sliders, unless they lost that last match against the DC Pickleball Team.
Riley was a little rusty, having not played in high-level pro matches in nearly three months. Connor Garnett developed a case of the yips on his serve, missing over 30 serves throughout the four matches, losing a point every time. Meghan Dizon was still getting over an illness and looked like she was 70 percent of her normal self. This whirlwind of a storm has the Sliders behind the eight ball going into MLP Washington D.C.
Unfortunately, Columbus doesn’t play in MLP Washington D.C., so they can’t see if Atlanta was an anomaly or if it is the norm. Riley wants to win badly whenever he is playing, and he was very upbeat in the interview after the win. I think the Sliders may stay put until after the Mid-Season Tournament, but they would definitely listen to trade inquiries if they were approached – Riley is the only non-tradeable player on the roster.
