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Ex-Yankees 1st-rounder among non-roster invitees to Red Sox spring training

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Ex-Yankees 1st-rounder among non-roster invitees to Red Sox spring training


Come February a former New York Yankees first-round draft pick, will get a chance to prove himself to their longtime rivals.

Left-hander T.J. Sikkema, 27, is one of seven non-roster invitees to Red Sox spring training, the club announced Tuesday.

Catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, lefty Alec Gamboa, and right-handers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris and Devin Sweet round out the group.

The Yankees drafted Sikkema 38th overall in the ‘19 draft. He was one of three minor league pitchers they dealt to the Kansas City Royals for former Red Sox star Andrew Benintendi at the ‘22 MLB trade deadline.

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Sikkema spent the last two years in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Last year he reached Triple-A for the first time, and pitched to a 3.47 ERA over five games (four starts) with nine earned runs allowed over 23.1 innings, following the late-August promotion.

While the Red Sox had a top-ranked farm system last year, their catching depth is notoriously thin. Delay, 30, has 134 games of big-league experience with the 2022-24 Pittsburgh Pirates, including 131 behind the dish, a career .231/.333/.400 line in the majors. He spent last season with the Double-A and Triple-A levels of the Atlanta Braves organization.

Capra, 29, appeared in 47 major league games last season, 24 with the Milwaukee Brewers and 23 with the Chicago White Sox. Since his debut with the ‘22 Toronto Blue Jays, he has played 67 big-league games over the last four years.

Though a lifetime .133/.181/.188 hitter in the majors, Capra brings defensive versatility to the table. In just 58 fielding games, he has already covered third base, second, shortstop, left and right field, and made three pitching appearances.

Gamboa, 28, comes to the Red Sox after a season split between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets and the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball League. He was the Dodgers’ ninth-round pick in ‘19, and owns a 4.23 ERA over 131 career minor league games, including 41 starts.

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Berrios is one of several former St. Louis Cardinals who will be in Red Sox camp next month. The Puerto Rico native split last season between Cardinals’ Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. Working primarily in relief, he logged a 5.12 ERA and struck out 62 over 58 innings (40 games, four starts).

Harris’ name will likely be familiar to Red Sox fans, as he spent all of last season in Triple-A Worcester. The 32-year-old righty posted a 4.05 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 31 relief appearances and one start. He also has 16 games of major league experience, from his time with the ‘23 Washington Nationals.

Like Sikkema, Harris is a former Yankees draft pick; they selected him in the 31st round in 2015.

The Red Sox signed Sweet to a minor league deal last month. He has seven games of big-league experience between the ‘23 Seattle Mariners and then-Oakland Athletics. He spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, with whom he posted a 5.08 ERA over 46 games, including two starts, and struck out 49 batters in 51.1 innings.

Tumbling from top spot

Entering last spring training, the Red Sox earned the top spot in Baseball America’s farm system rankings for the first time since the publication began their assessments in 1984.

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“The Red Sox have returned to the top of the farm system rankings, even after dealing four prospects to the White Sox to bring Garrett Crochet to Boston,” Baseball America’s explanation stated. “No other organization can match the trio of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, and Boston’s pitching depth has improved as well.”

The publication’s annual Prospect Handbook ranks the Red Sox 14th.

Chalk some of that up to the aforementioned trio making their respective big-league debuts and progressing out of prospect eligibility. Players like Anthony don’t exactly grow on trees.

Other top prospects, like slugging outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, have since been traded away. (Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has made a staggering 49 trades since taking the reins in November ’23.)

At present, most of Boston’s current top prospects are in the lower levels of the farm system. Three of the organization’s top five on MLB Pipeline are expected to debut in 2027 or later; the exceptions are lefties Payton Tolle (No. 2) and Connelly Early (No.4), who both debuted late last season but remain prospect-eligible.

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Nick Davidson scores 21 straight points, finishes with 25 as No. 22 Clemson beats Boston College – The Boston Globe

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Nick Davidson scores 21 straight points, finishes with 25 as No. 22 Clemson beats Boston College – The Boston Globe


CLEMSON, S.C. — Nick Davidson scored 21 straight points in the first half and finished with a season-high 25 as No. 22 Clemson beat Boston College, 74-50, on Tuesday night to remain undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tigers (15-3, 5-0 ACC) won their eighth straight game, one day after reaching the Top 25 rankings for the first time this season.

Davidson, the Nevada transfer, accounted for all of Clemson’s scoring in a 21-9 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 32-24 lead.

Clemson started the second half on a 9-2 run. The Tigers were led by RJ Godfrey’s 5 points and extended their lead to double digits.

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Davidson’s two foul shots with 9:50 to play extended Clemson’s lead to 21 points and Boston College (7-10, 0-4) failed to respond. The Tigers eventually led by 25 in the second half.

Davidson made 8 of 11 shots from the field, including four of Clemson’s eight 3-pointers. He finished a point shy of his career high, set against Sam Houston State in November 2024.

Fred Payne led BC with 20 points.

Godfrey and Carter Welling each had 10 points and eight rebounds for Clemson.

BC opened quickly, hitting five of its first eight shots for a 15-11 lead. That’s when Davidson went on his run in a 10-minute stretch in which he accounted for all of Clemson’s offense.

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Jestin Porter, who scored 26 points in Clemson’s last outing in a win at Notre Dame, added a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch as the Tigers led 37-27 at the break.

The Eagles host Syracuse on Saturday.





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Massachusetts Senate to finally debate Boston Mayor Wu’s contentious tax shift bill

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Massachusetts Senate to finally debate Boston Mayor Wu’s contentious tax shift bill


Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s stalled tax shift bill will be taken up by the state Senate Thursday for the first time since it was killed there more than a year ago, but this time as an amendment filed for an alternate Senate-led tax relief proposal.

State Sen. Michael Rush, a Boston Democrat, filed an amendment to state Sen. William Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill that mirrors the language included in a home rule petition the mayor has been pushing for nearly two years that would shift more of the city’s tax burden from the residential to commercial sector.

“Property tax relief is a pressing issue for my constituents — and residents throughout the state,” Rush said Monday in a statement to the Herald. “On behalf of the people of Boston, I have filed the home rule petition passed by the Boston City Council to provide property tax relief for Boston residents.

“As the Senate considers several worthy proposals designed to address affordability in the Commonwealth, I am glad this proposal will be part of the discussion,” Rush said.

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Wu’s office told the Herald Saturday that the mayor had requested the amendment.

“Every senator has the opportunity to submit amendments related to these bills by Monday, and we have asked Boston’s senators to offer an amendment with our residential tax relief language that has been vetted thoroughly and never received a vote,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement. “We are following closely and hope the final bills will include this needed relief for residents.”

Wu has said her legislation is aimed at lowering the 13% tax hike the average single-family homeowner is projected to face this year. Third-quarter tax bills went out to homeowners earlier this month.

The mayor’s bill seeks to shift more of the city’s tax burden onto commercial property owners, beyond the 175% state limit, for a three-year period.

It is set to be debated, along with several other amendments that have been filed by senators for Brownsberger’s property tax shock bill, at Thursday’s session.

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“All amendments filed by members of the Senate will be considered by the full body during our session on Thursday,” a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka’s office said Monday in a statement to the Herald.

A vote is expected on the bill and underlying amendments on the same day, according to state Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat whose alternative tax relief bill and amendments will also be considered.

Collins, who opposes the tax shift element of the mayor’s home rule petition and helped lead the push to kill it on the Senate floor in late 2024, has put forward a bill and amendments that include other elements of what Wu has proposed.

He’s pushing for tax rebates for low- and middle-income homeowners who already receive the residential tax exemption by using surplus funds, along with senior, veterans and small business tax relief provisions.

“I think that the relief measures are positive in terms of the amendments that I and others have filed that are relief in nature or relief options, but I think anything that involves a tax increase is going to be difficult,” Collins told the Herald Monday when asked about the chances for the mayor’s proposal.

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“Especially when the city is sitting on $552 million of what they consider to be free cash, it’s hard to make the case that tax increase is necessary,” Collins added.

In a statement issued by his office, Collins added that the city’s decision to hike residential property taxes by double-digits “with so much in the City of Boston’s surplus fund” was “unnecessary, unfair and clearly inequitable.”

“To cancel out that tax increase, my legislation would authorize the city to issue direct rebates to homeowners,” Collins said.

He pointed to a similar approach that he said was taken at the state level in 2022, when the governor and legislature issued rebates after tax revenues exceeded the cap established under voter-approved state law, Chapter 62F, which limits the growth of state tax collections.

In terms of Rush’s amendment, Collins said he’s also concerned that the senator’s language would make the mayor’s tax shift bill applicable statewide, rather than just in Boston.

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Boston City Council starts new term with turbulence

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Boston City Council starts new term with turbulence


A chaotic carousel is turning at Boston City Hall.

One week has passed since City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, was elected president following a last-minute candidacy.

“It’s been a very rock start,” said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn.

“It’s really important, today, that we move forward,” said City Councilor Sharon Durkan of District 8.

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Breadon claiming the gavel was aided by a late-night meeting from Durkan and District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén, who came to Breadon’s home hours before the vote asking her to be a compromise candidate.

In November, District 1 City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata claimed to have the votes needed to become council president, but she faced a challenge from City Councilor Brian Worrell of District 4.

Coletta Zapata bowed out of the race the night before the vote.

“This city council election for presidency divided the council,” said Flynn. “Many people thought of all the 13 city councilors, the most talented and well-respected was Brian Worrell.”

“You actually saw it all play out in real time on the council floor,” said Durkan. “A lot’s been made about the visit that I made to Councilor Braden’s house. It really, I just thought she would make a good president, and when I was unable to reach her on the phone, I just thought, ‘Why not.’”

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Questions have also swirled about whether Boston Mayor Michelle Wu played a role in Breadon’s candidacy.

“My choice for president has always been about what I think is good for the city, but it’s true, what’s good for the city council and what’s good for the mayor is good for the city,” said Durkan.

That back-and-forth spilled into the weekend. On Friday, Breadon told NBC10 Boston’s @Issue that she would choose Coletta Zapata as her vice president. But on Saturday, she said Coletta Zapata wanted to be chair of government operations instead, and that Worrell would be vice president.

Sunday night, Worrell said he would decline the role, and on Monday, Coletta Zapata said she had accepted it.

“I look forward to a city council that’s ready to work, together, for our city,” Coletta Zapata said via text message.

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Breadon echoed those sentiments on @Issue.

“It behooves me to really engage with my colleagues and try and heal the wounds and move forward as a solid body,” she said.

The Boston City Council does not have a scheduled meeting until Jan. 28 as committee assignments for the term are finalized.



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