5 potential landing spots for Chris Carter

4. Oakland Athletics

The A’s are already doing well with one former Brewer, Khris Davis, who hit 42 home runs last year. Outside of Davis, the Athletics have very little team power, and already deducted Danny Valencia’s 17 home runs this offseason by trading him to the Seattle Mariners. The A’s finished 12th in the AL last season with 169 homers, and their first basemen hit only 11, last in all of baseball. They did get 22 home runs from five different DHs, but 15 came from Davis.

If the A’s sign Carter, he would spend most of his time at DH, where he is best suited. Power is expensive on the open market, but Carter has enough holes in his game that Oakland should be able to afford him. Plugging in a late-career star or one-dimensional slugger is what the A’s have to do with their limited budget. The approach has led Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Frank Thomas to play out the twilights of their careers in Oakland, and also gave Jack Cust a home for a few years.

Jason Giambi, Carter is not, but he will do in a pinch for the cash-strapped A’s. Give him an incentive-laden contract and let him earn his keep by blasting balls into the empty seats of the coliseum. If things go well, flip Carter to a contender in need of power at the deadline. For Oakland, taking a flier on Chris Carter is a very low-risk, high-reward move.