The Red Sox are actively looking to fill their empty manager position after firing Bobby Valentine, and John Farrell of the Blue Jays has been one of the names rumored for the job. Prying him away from Toronto won't be cheap. The Blue Jays are looking for at least a "decent player" according to the Boston Herald.
As the Herald points out, this wouldn't be the first time a team has essentially traded for a manager. The Seattle Mariners received Randy Winn from the Tampa Bay Rays for Lou Piniella, while the Miami Marlins gave up prospects to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Ozzie Guillen.
Toronto will likely be reluctant to give up their manager to a division rival, and Boston will have to decide whether or not a manager can surpass the value of a solid player in the field.
That question could be hard to quantify, but it didn't work out well for Tampa Bay. Pinella went 200-285 in three years with the Rays, while Winn was a productive member of the Mariners for two and a half years before a trade to the San Francisco Giants.