AMHERST — Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington knew the Marlins had players on the trade market. But like everybody else in baseball, the magnitude of the team’s deal with the Blue Jays surprised him.

“Wasn’t expecting to see that,” Cherington said Tuesday night after learning the Jays were on the verge of acquiring John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, and Jose Reyes for a large package of prospects.