Winfield Has Fresh Start at 38 : Angels: Outfielder puts his stormy New York days behind him and says he plans to play five more years.

No stronger evidence of Dave Winfield’s joy at being a former Yankee need be offered than to see that the gray in his hair had turned dark again.

“I feel better since I left,” Winfield said. “I don’t have a gray hair anymore.”

He may need cosmetic help to cover his gray, but his relief at starting his career anew with the Angels seemed genuine. The 38-year-old outfielder was supposed to be in the Angels’ lineup Thursday, in right field and hitting cleanup, but he was scratched after Manager Doug Rader learned of the long day and short sleep Winfield had Wednesday after negotiating the contract extension that could pay him $9.1 million through 1993.

Winfield made his Angel debut in the eighth inning, grounding out to short with two runners on as a pinch-hitter for Jack Howell. “I’ll be in there in Toronto and happy to be so,” he said. “I think they’ve got me slated for right field, which is fine with me.”

Told that that was the case, he gave a broad grin. “That must be for things to come,” he said. “When I’m hitting, I’ll be very happy.”

Winfield, who hit .322 with 107 runs batted in in 1988 but missed the 1989 season after undergoing back surgery, looked weary Thursday until he got into the batting cage for his first serious swings since the Yankees pulled him off the field last Friday to tell him he had been traded for pitcher Mike Witt.

He was prepared to play for the Yankees Tuesday, claiming he had not received official notification of a trade he planned to veto anyway. However, Winfield was prohibited from playing or taking batting practice at Yankee Stadium by Commissioner Fay Vincent.

The agreement was reached after long talks that were almost sidetracked when Yankee owner George Steinbrenner tried to persuade the Angels to accept another player--reportedly outfielder Roberto Kelly or shortstop Alvaro Espinoza--as compensation for Witt.

“This change, I think, will work in my favor,” Winfield said after trying on his new uniform and approving his reflection in the clubhouse mirror. “The Yankees had made a decision not to go with me, and California needed somebody. Hopefully, I can provide the numbers on the board.”

The numbers in his contract break down to a $100,000 signing bonus and a 1991 salary of $3.2 million if he is on the 1991 opening-day roster. If he’s released before opening day, he will receive $2 million and a $450,000 buyout.

He will be paid $3 million in 1992 if the Angels pick up his option for that season, and they can buy out his 1993 option for $450,000. His 1993 salary would be $2.8 million.

Winfield, who hit .213 in 20 games for the Yankees this season and had been reduced to platoon status by Manager Bucky Dent, also received $100,000 from the Yankees to pay off bonus clauses in his contract. The David M. Winfield Foundation received $50,000 from the Yankees in return for the Players Assn. dropping its grievance against the Yankees over the handling of the trade.

“I’m glad to see him,” Rader said of Winfield, once his teammate with the Padres. “I’ve known Dave a long time and I know he has a lot to offer.

“When Dave plays, he’s going to play the outfield. It’s not like this is going to be a tryout for him. He’s going to be a right fielder. I imagine there might be some ballgames where he might DH.”

Winfield’s agent, Jeff Klein, said that having an arbitrator rule whether Winfield’s refusal right as a 10-and-five player superseded the inclusion of acceptable trade destinations in his contract could have resulted in a victory the pair did not want.

“There was some desire (to see their claim upheld), but my job is to achieve the best outcome for my client,” Klein said. “Dave let me know he wanted to play for the California Angels.

“That put me in a conundrum. If we went to arbitration, Dave wouldn’t be playing for the California Angels. If we won, Dave would have been back playing for the Yankees. George (Steinbrenner) said he wanted him to play. I can only tell you that in my discussions with George, he expressed the feeling that if we won in arbitration, Dave would be an every-day player.”

Winfield said he and Steinbrenner parted amicably, ending a stormy relationship marked by legal and personal battles.

Steinbrenner had said this week that he neither initiated nor favored trading Winfield for Witt, whom he once said did not have “the makeup” to survive the pressures of playing in New York. He also apologized for the short notice Winfield received of the deal.

“I think you would say we’re not really friends or close, but I think he would admit I was a good employee,” Winfield said. “I gave him more RBIs than anybody in the last decade, and the Yankees won more games than any other team. He said very kind words when we left.

“I had no parting words to say to him when I left. I did leave an open letter to the fans of New York. I left a lot there, but I’m not going to lament and say, ‘Look what I’m leaving behind.’ I’m looking forward to playing for the Angels. I’m pulling the shade on the last nine years and going on.

“I always want to do well and I intend to do well with the Angels. I always push myself--no contract or owner pushes harder than I push me. What I did in New York means nothing here. What I did in San Diego years ago means nothing here. I plan to play five more years. I’ll be around for quite a while.”

In a letter distributed to New York reporters, Winfield thanked Yankee fans for their support and said he wasn’t saying goodby, only “a regrettable farewell for a while.”

He added: “No matter where baseball may take me in the future, New York will always be my real home. It won’t come to pass, unfortunately, but I also always hoped and intended to finish my playing career as a true Yankee in those deservedly revered pinstripes.”

Winfield had often joked that he wanted the Yankees to stage a “day” in his honor, as they did to honor Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto and other former Yankees, but he knew that would never happen.

“So many people were getting days at the Stadium, but I said, ‘The only day I’m going to get is a day to get out of town,’ ” he said, smiling. “That proved to be correct.”