BASEBALL : Yankees Get O’Neill for Kelly

Outfielder Roberto Kelly was traded by the New York Yankees on Tuesday to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Paul O’Neill and minor league first baseman Joe DeBerry.

Kelly, 28, has a .280 batting average for his six years in the major leagues. He hit .272 in 152 games this season, with 31 doubles, 10 home runs, 66 runs batted in and 28 stolen bases.

O’Neill, 29, has played his entire career in the Cincinnati organization. The Reds were disappointed in his production this season, when he batted .246 with 19 doubles, 14 homers, 66 RBIs and six stolen bases in 148 games.

DeBerry, 22, hit .240 with 15 homers and 68 RBIs this season for Cedar Rapids, the Reds’ Class-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

Suspended New York Yankee pitcher Pascual Perez was among 14 players filing for free agency, bringing the total to 129 with as many as 27 others eligible to file by Sunday’s deadline.

Perez, 35, was suspended for one year by then-commissioner Fay Vincent on March 6 after a positive test for cocaine.

Also filing Tuesday were Angel catcher Mike Fitzgerald, Detroit pitcher Frank Tanana, Kansas City shortstop Curtis Wilkerson, Milwaukee second baseman Jim Gantner, Minnesota outfielder Chili Davis, Yankees pitcher Tim Burke, Seattle catcher Lance Parrish, Atlanta pitcher Alejandro Pena, New York Met outfielder Kevin Bass and Pittsburgh pitcher Danny Cox.

Former Dodger left-hander Claude Osteen was hired as the Texas Ranger pitching coach.

Osteen, 53, is the first coach hired by the Rangers since Kevin Kennedy was hired as manager two week ago. The two worked together when Kennedy was manager at triple-A Albuquerque in the Dodger farm system.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed outfielder Lloyd McClendon, 33, to a two-year contract worth $1.3 million. The new contract will pay McClendon $650,000 over each of the next two seasons.

Phillie pitcher Kyle Abbott told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he has been suspended from playing in any of the Caribbean winter leagues until 1999 after he left his Venezuela League team in mid-season last year at the Phillies’ request. Abbott was 1-14 with the Phillies last season.