Reagins sees roster half-full

NASHVILLE -- The Angels’ winter-meetings contingent checked out of the Opryland Hotel on Thursday without Miguel Cabrera, without Miguel Tejada, without Johan Santana and without any regrets.

“Am I disappointed? No,” General Manager Tony Reagins said when asked about his failure to land an impact player at the meetings. “If an opportunity doesn’t present itself, you keep working to get something done.

“Things change all the time. In this environment, conversations are important. Feeling out other GMs, finding out needs after things have already occurred, is important.

“Just because something major doesn’t get done, it doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity down the road. And, I’ll say it again, if nothing else materializes, we like our chances.”

The Angels exchanged numerous trade proposals with Florida about Cabrera, but talks broke down last week amid rancor, with Angels owner Arte Moreno claiming he thought he had deals for the 24-year-old slugger twice, only to have the Marlins increase their demands at the last minute, and Florida President Larry Beinfest taking a shot at Moreno on Wednesday, saying it was “unprofessional” for teams to discuss trade negotiations.

The Marlins sent Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers in an eight-player deal.

A rumor that the Angels jumped into the Santana sweepstakes gained legs Tuesday, with several websites reporting the Angels not only intensified their efforts to acquire the ace from Minnesota but were the front-runners for the left-hander.

Though the Angels expressed interest in Santana in late November, they have not aggressively pursued him, and Reagins shot down the rumors, saying he is not in the market for starting pitching.

There was speculation that after losing out on Cabrera the Angels would pursue Tejada, but their interest in the Baltimore slugger has waned, and they have balked at the asking price.

With little chance to acquire a big bat, Reagins will focus on minor deals or, possibly, a free-agent signing. The Angels would like to add a left-handed bat to the bench, and several clubs have inquired about outfielder Reggie Willits, a possible trade chip.

“There have been some discussions on things that could potentially benefit the club, but they’re in the infancy stages,” Reagins said. “Nothing significant right now.”

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Though they didn’t land Cabrera or Tejada, the Angels will start camp with a power-hitting third baseman -- Dallas McPherson. Remember him?

Once touted as a 40-homer threat, McPherson was limited by injuries to 40 games in 2006 and missed all of 2007 after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

But McPherson, 27, played 11 games in the Arizona instructional league this fall, hitting .240 in 25 at-bats with two home runs, and he feels better about his chances of playing in 2008 . . . somewhere.

“I don’t care if I’m in A ball -- I just want to get back on the field,” McPherson said. “I’m so far down the list right now, and rightfully so. I’ve had so many injuries, I was out for a year. I don’t expect to be the starting third baseman, for sure, but I would like another opportunity.”

McPherson, who is doing yoga in hopes of improving his range of motion, said his instructional league stint went a lot better than he expected.

“My biggest fear was running the bases, and I was able to do that,” McPherson said. “I was able to play third, a little first. I was able to bend down, move to my left and right, get out of the batter’s box. I felt like my power was fine. I hit some good shots, drove the ball to the gap a few times. It was definitely something to build on.”

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The Angels lost three Class-A players in the double-A portion of the Rule 5 draft Thursday: pitcher Rafael Cruz Chavez to Pittsburgh, pitcher Francisco Cordova to Texas and first baseman Baltazar Lopez to Arizona.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com