Cleveland Indians: Recapping the FanSided Winter Meetings simulation

The real hot stove is about to heat up for the Cleveland Indians, but first we can look back at the results from our own offseason simulation.

December is set to begin and with the new month comes more stress and excitement for Cleveland Indians fans.

Free agency should begin to heat up and by the time we welcome 2018, we should know where the likes of Carlos Santana, Jay Bruce, Bryan Shaw and Austin Jackson will be suiting up in the new year.

This past week the MLB site experts here at FanSided conducted an offseason simulation, lasting from Monday until Wednesday.

I was in charge of running the Indians, and ended the simulation with three trades:

Simulated Trade No. 1: Indians send Ryan Merritt to the Phillies for Tommy Joseph

Simulated Trade No. 2: Indians send Shawn Armstrong to the Twins for Ryan Pressly

Simulated Trade No. 3: Indians send Jason Kipnis to the Giants for Brandon Belt

I was most excited about the third trade, although I’m not sure it’s a realistic one for the real-life organization. But that’s what simulations are for.

Trading players like Ryan Merritt and Shawn Armstrong is more realistic, as both don’t appear to be major factors in 2018. That can obviously change, but if teams are looking for some young arms, both players could be talked about in trades.

Trading Jason Kipnis would be a major deal, and this particular simulated trade for Brandon Belt is only a possibility if Santana cannot be retained. And even then, it may be a bit premature to part ways with Kipnis after one injury-shortened season.

Next: Matt Adams could be a target for the Cleveland Indians

The Indians may not even make a single trade this offseason, but it sure was fun to talk with the other site experts and get some deals done. It is a lot easier when you don’t have to go to ownership and ask for money.