The Red Sox have been a relatively pleasant surprise in this young 2023 season, getting an array of contributions from a variety of young players to regain a level of respectability. And the most shocking turnaround at Fenway Park concerns outfielder Jarren Duran.

Which begs the question:

What should the Red Sox do now – keep Duran or trade him?

That very question was raised recently by Jared Carrabis of Draft Kings during his weekly appearance on The Baseball Hour – and it’s a legitimate, complicated question. Now 26, Duran had been a tremendous bust before this season despite considerable hype in the minor leagues. From 2021-22, in 335 plate appearances over 91 games, Duran batted .219 with a .622 OPS and 103 strikeouts while playing atrocious defense, no play more memorable than his misjudging of an inside-the-park-grand slam by Toronto’s Raimel Tapia (now a teammate) at Fenway Park last July. On the play, Duran then proceeded to watch as teammates chased down the ball.

The everlasting image of that play was the headshot of the 2022 Red Sox season.

This year, however, couldn’t be more different.

In 128 plate appearances covering 28 games, Duran has batted a whopping .362 with three home runs, 19 RBI, seven stolen bases and 1.006 OPS. Among all major league players with at least 100 plate appearances, that final number – again, a 1.006 OPS – ranks fifth in all of baseball.

Now the obvious question: is this merely a flash? Or has Duran reached the kind of potential that many thought he possessed?

And then, depending on your answer, should the Red Sox keep him or trade him, striking while the iron is hot to acquire, perhaps, an elite pitcher?

These three plays, among others, illustrate the kind of explosiveness that Duran has demonstrated this season:

A breathtaking double in Atlanta

A grand slam in Baltimore

A home run to the triangle at Fenway Park

Now, we know what you’re thinking: if Duran is playing like this, why in the world you consider trading him?

The answer: Bobby Dalbec.

Halfway through the 2021 season, remember, Dalbec looked like a bust. But in the final two months of that season, Dalbec batted .299 with an incredible 1.110 OPS, totals that placed him among the very best hitters in baseball. The Red Sox might have had the opportunity to trade Dalbec that offseason, but the Red Sox brought him to play first base in 2022 … and he hasn’t been anything remotely close to the same player since.

And this week, longtime baseball reporter Peter Gammons reported that the Red Sox were openly offering Dalbec to teams, though his value is now close to zero.

So, what should the Red Sox do with Duran? Excellent question. And a difficult one. Even if Duran doers not play defense well enough to be a true center fielder, his current offense alone makes him tremendously valuable as a left fielder or designated hitter. But for a Red Sox team that is now balancing the present and future for a fan base that has lost confidence in ownership and management, the question borders on Shakespearean:

To keep or not to keep?