The Boston Red Sox don’t know exactly who their best player is, at least not if you follow it closely.

Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers both have a shot at the crown, giving Boston two franchise cornerstones around which the Red Sox will build the next decade. Duran turns 28 in a few weeks and Devers does the same in late October.

Devers is just one home run away from 200 in his career, and he’s having another stellar season in Boston, where through Saturday he posted a .292/.371/.575 batting average with 27 home runs and 77 RBIs. Devers’ performance earned him his third All-Star selection this season, but according to one report, he’s not the Red Sox’s most valuable player.

On Thursday, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter published an article titled “Buy or Sell Every MLB Team’s WAR Leader Who Is Actually Its Most Valuable Player” and concluded that Boston’s WAR leader Duran (5.8 WAR) is actually the club’s rightful MVP for the 2024 season.

“Jarren Duran had an outstanding season in 2023 and was even better this year. He hit .287/.344/.501 for an OPS+ of 130 and filled the stat sheet with 37 doubles, 13 triples, 16 home runs, 62 RBI, 84 runs scored and 31 steals,” Reuter said.

“It took the 27-year-old some time to go from top talent to influential major league player, but the Red Sox now appear to have a homegrown star who is under the club’s control through the 2028 season.”

“It’s hard to ignore Rafael Devers having the best offensive season of his career, but Duran impacts the game in so many ways with his contact skills, extra-base pop, speed and defense that he has created more comprehensive value.”

Is Reuters’ assessment that Duran would be the Red Sox MVP over Devers correct, or is this just another case of Devers being grossly underrated?

Fortunately for Boston, that doesn’t make a difference as long as both players continue to reach the All-Star level they’ve now taken for granted.

More MLB: Red Sox top talent will hope for a spot on the 2025 Opening Day roster “long term”