Former Met Chris “The Animal” Carter has exercised his June 15th opt-out clause and is now a free agent (hat tip to “Mike”, who alerted me via email). Carter was hitting .270 with 10 HRs and 46 RBI in 54 games with the AAA Durham Bulls. His walks and OBP are down considerably compared to what he’s done in the past, but based on that high RBI total I’m guessing that he’s changed his approach to drive in more runs.

Carter seemed to have a golden opportunity to earn a spot on the 25-man roster and get regular playing time as a DH when he signed a deal with the Rays in January. But things changed quickly when the Rays later signed Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon.

Carter split his time between the outfield and DH with the Bulls this year, and though I haven’t heard anything about his defense improving, it’s interesting to note he did not make any errors in 26 games in the OF.

If the timing was different, I wonder if the Mets would have considered bringing the Animal back? For example, if Carter was available at the time of the Ike Davis injury?

Considering Carter’s power potential, my guess is he’ll find an opportunity somewhere. Since the Mets have lefthanded-hitting on-base machine Willie Harris on the bench, and young Lucas Duda back with the club, there’s no room for Carter in Flushing. But there are 28 other teams besides the Mets and Rays, so where do you think The Animal might land? Let me know in the comments.