QUESTION: Do you think the Cardinals will find a way to bring Rafael Furcal back next season? What kind of contract do you think the free agent shortstop will command?

JOE STRAUSS

I would expect Furcal to get a one-year plus an option arrangement. Who knows what financial terms will be, but I’d expect appearance incentives to be a component of any deal pushing beyond $5 million. Furcal showed he can still play defense but his late-season offensive fade reminded clubs that he is no longer a 150-game player. Whoever signs him must have a reliable backup, which needs to be factored into cost.

RICK HUMMEL

Furcal won’t command any more than one year and an option. The Cardinals loved his defense and his clubhhouse presence but he hit way too many fly balls and he has a history of injuries. Buyer beware. But they will kick the tires and maybe come up with some sort of incentives contract for games played.

JEFF GORDON

Furcal would be a handy short-term option for the team IF it keeps Pujols. To get a two-year deal from this team, he’d have to accept incentives in the deal, I believe. I couldn’t imagine paying him more than half the $12 million he would have earned in 2012 had the Cards picked up his option. I can’t believe there is a big market for him outside the STL. But . . . his glove work had a transformational impact on the team. He has been a good offensive player in the past, but the Cards couldn’t count on that. So if Albert left, the team would have to consider spending some of the savings to get an offensive upgrade at shortstop. Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes are both threats to get massively overpaid, so that is a mitigating factor in all this. Would the Diamondbacks be willing to move Stephen Drew?

LARRY BOROWSKY (Founder of Viva El Birdos and editor of “Maple Street Press Cardinals Annual”)

Furcal was the Cards’ most important midseason addition in 2011. The going rate for full-time shortstops of his age and ability is about two years, $6 million a year, but Furcal can’t be considered a full-time regular anymore – he has topped 400 at-bats only once in the last four seasons, and at age 34 he’s not a good bet to start getting healthier. So I think the Cards should try to get him on an incentive-based deal, with a base salary of (let’s say) $3 million and bonuses for meeting certain at-bat thresholds. If Furcal signs elsewhere there’s no obvious internal replacement, so the Cards’ options would be to seek a trade (Stephen Drew, anyone?), settle for a second-tier free agent such as Clint Barmes, or shell out big bucks for Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins. All of these alternatives carry risks; none would be preferable to re-signing Furcal at the right price.