Let's face it, it was addition by subtraction, and they did everything they could to (and paid a premium) to do it without losing much in the way of production.
This was a classic Red Sox/Yankees move. In pure value, this is not a great move, but the Sox can easily afford it both in money and prospects, because they felt they couldn't just "punt" and trade Manny straight up for prospects.
This deal does not excite me...but it does make a lot of sense.
Not to mention, we kept Bay from going to Tampa, which also helps us in the race this year.