New Jersey finally won one. Anna Leigh Waters swept the individual awards. And seven months after MLP said two franchises were being sold, neither sale has been announced as closed.
They beat St. Louis 2–0 in the final at Wollman Rink on 30 August, with Federico Staksrud taking Finals MVP. It is the franchise’s first title after losing the final in both 2024 and 2025 — the rare case where the team that kept getting close actually broke through. (The Dink)
Kate Fahey took Most Improved and Johnny Goldberg was named GM of the Year. The league’s pick for best trade of the season was Staksrud to New Jersey — which, given who was holding the Finals MVP trophy a few days later, is hard to argue with. (Pickleball.com)
Last offseason’s opening move landed on 30 January: Max Freeman to Los Angeles for Hunter Johnson and cash, which put Ben Johns and Freeman on the same roster for the first time. If you only start paying attention in April, the roster you are looking at was built while you were not watching. (The Kitchen · trade tracker)
It sits outside the 13-event league calendar that finished in New York, so the quiet stretch between now and then is not the end of the season. (MLP events calendar)
The rumor mill
Things we are watching that are not settled. Each one names who reported it and what is still missing.
Erik Tice reported for The Dink on 5 February that the Nashville Chefs and the DC Pickleball Team were “finalizing sale agreements” and would be “utilizing 2026 to execute those transactions.” That was given as the reason 23 franchises became 20 for this season, alongside the NY Hustlers merging into Brooklyn. Seven months on, we have found no announcement that either sale completed — and no reporting that either collapsed either. What would settle it: a league or ownership statement naming the buyers. (The Dink)
About this column. Pickleball Insiders is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by Major League Pickleball, the PPA Tour, the APP, or any team or player named above. Every item links to the reporting it came from. Anything marked Unconfirmed has been reported by a named outlet but has not been confirmed by the parties involved and has not been independently verified by us — treat those as open questions, not findings. If we have something wrong, tell us: we correct in place and say what changed. Contact · How we work
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