East Notes: Top Prospects, Fernandez, Mackanin

Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is the best prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America’s new top 100 prospects list. Following Benintendi is Yoan Moncada, who would have given the Red Sox the top two prospects in baseball had he not been traded to the White Sox this offseason. In fact, what sticks out about Baseball America’s list and other recent top prospect lists is just how many top talents have been traded lately, including Moncada as well as the players at spots No. 3 (Dansby Swanson), No. 5 (Gleyber Torres), No. 21 (Anderson Espinoza), No. 24 (Manuel Margot) No. 25 (Lucas Giolito), No. 27 (Lewis Brinson) and No. 29 (Jose De Leon). Here’s more from the East divisions.

• The families of Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias, who were killed in a boat wreck along with former Marlins ace Jose Fernandez last September, are suing Fernandez’s estate for $2MM each, Rafael Olmeda of the Sun Sentinel writes. Fernandez’s attorney says a settlement is “highly unlikely,” noting that he expects the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s pending investigation of the wreck to show that Fernandez was not driving the boat when it crashed. He also adds that there are indications Fernandez’s use of cocaine that night was “not voluntary” and that Fernandez might not have known he had the drug in his system.
• Phillies manager Pete Mackanin’s contract runs through 2017 with a team option for 2018, but GM Matt Klentak remains mum on an extension or an exercise of Mackanin’s option, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. “We have time to do that,” says Klentak. “Obviously last year we talked about his status in spring training and I’m sure the time will come when we’ll sit down and talk about it again.” The Phillies signed Mackanin to his current contract last March. Salisbury points out that there’s no danger of Mackanin losing his job at this time after the Phillies improved from 63 to 71 wins in 2016, so Mackanin’s contract now qualifies as a “low-priority item.”