The New York teams are going to be central figures in free agency once it officially opens at the conclusion of the World Series . That owes a lot to the internal decisions both have to make with integral players entering the market.

With that in mind, The Post is starting a five-part series going in depth about the cases for the key figures. We consulted with two front-office officials and two agents not affiliated with the players to better understand the issues and markets.

Part 1: Pete Alonso.

The case for Alonso

He is an elite power hitter with top-of-the-game durability who has proven he can handle the largest market and the postseason. He was a free agent last offseason coming off a career-low 122 OPS-plus and with the qualifying offer (draft pick compensation) tied to him.

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