12/18 10:16am PST: Mark Bowman of MLB.com Tweets:  A source close to J. Vazquez said it is “highly unlikely” that he would approve a trade to Angels or any of the other West division clubs.

12/17 15:29 PST: According to ESPN, the Angels are turning their attention to a starter in Atlanta, and it isn’t Derek Lowe.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports that the Angels are focused in on starting pitcher Javier Vazquez.  Starks goes on to say, “But here’s the hang-up: Vazquez has a limited no-trade clause that blocks the Braves from dealing him to a team on the west coast, a clause he negotiated in his 2007 contract extension (with the White Sox) because of his desire to remain within geographical proximity of his family in Puerto Rico.”

Two executives that are aware of the developments believe that Vazquez will not waive his no-trade clause to any west coast team even if the Braves and Angels can workout a deal.

Vazquez, 33, was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 238 strikeouts with the Braves in 2009.  He made $11.5 million 2009 and has the same salary for 2010.  You can see Vazquez’s complete contract and statistics history here.

ESPN reports that word of the Angels’ interest was first reported by Angelswin.com.