Go for another cheap one. Even if it's not in the compartment itself, exploded battery is never good news.
If you do try to clean it up, be VERY careful. I've gotten bad chemical burns on my hands from trying to clean up exploded battery.
You know, it's weird. I've had absolutely bizarre reactions to who knows what (sometimes I have reactions with some cleaning products, but two days later I'll use the same product with no reaction) and my skin will get really red and swollen, but I've dealt with old crusty split batteries for years and have never had a problem. My dad would constantly leave things around and/or lose them and months or years later, we'd come along electronics with the telltale crust of split batteries. We always tried to clean them, but mom and dad never let me try. Mostly because at the time I was so clumsy that I'd do more damage with liquid + electronics, but I used to take the electronics to the trash and get off what I could with my bare hands of the crusties.
I promise I'll be careful cleaning it, but there's really not a whole lot of crust left at all. Will report back after I've moved into new place, located crusty camera, and attempted de-crustification.