What opinion? That he plays harder? The knock from Mo was obviously how hard he played, that's all not how good anyone was.
Defensively they are maybe equal but only because of Cano's nonchalant days at 2nd……maybe.
Offensively I am not sure what the heck you mean "they are different players asked to do different things"? Pedey batted 3rd and 4th many times and isn't one to show the inside out swing to advance the runner or drop down a bunt or choke up to get apiece so explain to me what they do different? They go up swinging to drive the ball somewhere and are both good hitters but Cano is better by a decent amount, more power and overall a better average hitter.
"Nonchalantness" is a part of Cano's game. They cannot be separated. It's like saying the Broncos would have won the Super Bowl if only they scored more points!!!
Offensively, Petey is not a homerun hitter and if their stats are extrapolated over 162 games, Cano has a .007 advantage in Batting Average. However, Petey gets on base more, which equates to better plate discipline (He collects 26 more walks per year on average than Cano), scores more, and the difference in OPS (On Base % + Slugging %) is about equal (though Cano holds a slight advantage).
Petey is a line drive hitter. By virtue of him being a pull hitter and the dimensions of Fenway park, some of them happen to make their way over the wall. While he doesn't care where he hits in the order, he primarily hits 2nd (2800 of his 4700 PAs came in the 2-hole). Cano has hit primarily out of the 5, 7, and 3 holes (in that order,) and is expected hit homeruns and pile up RBI's. It's interesting that Cano only has 1 HR this year after just under 1/4 season. Let's see how many HRs he ends up with, playing at least 81 games in Pitchers parks. Pedroia should less the gap in hitting categories you hold so dear, and expand his lead in others.