MLB Trade Rumors: Last-Minute Deadline Buzz Surrounding Marquee Players

Mere hours and minutes remain until Friday's 4 p.m. ET deadline marks MLB's trade deadline and puts a halt on feverish conversations between front offices, but plenty of moves are still left to be made surrounding some marquee names.

It's been a busy couple of days already on the trade front, with dozens of deals flooding in to position buyers for a World Series run and sellers for greener pastures in the future. While many teams have gotten just what they were looking for, others are still left empty-handed and searching for a last-minute splash.

Let's take a look at the likeliest names to make such a splash in the final hours before the deadline.

Craig Kimbrel

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

He's just settling into the San Diego Padres after being traded from the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day, but Craig Kimbrel might be changing locations once again in the waning moments of the trade season.

Eight games out of the lead in the NL West, the Padres are much more positioned to be sellers than buyers, and that has them fielding calls over a pitcher they just put a package together to acquire three months ago. Per ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Yankees and Astros were two teams expressing interest entering deadline day.

However, things were quickly halted between the Padres and Yankees with no movement Friday, as ESPN's Buster Olney reported:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports echoed that report, also adding Carter Capps as a viable option for New York to consider:

The Yankees' bouncing from Kimbrel talks doesn't necessarily clear the way for the Houston Astros to pounce. As CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported, the Boston Red Sox—potential buyers regardless of playoff standing—are also in on Kimbrel.

Could they be in for the late swoop? As Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported, a three-team deal could be brewing between the clubs:

Houston would be a more natural fit based on league, as Kimbrel has led the NL in saves for four years running. But it's hard to argue the 27-year-old couldn't be a difference-maker for the Yankees or any other contending team. With a 0.84 ERA since June 1 and 28 strikeouts in that span, he's heating up as the season hits the second-half stretch.

Yoenis Cespedes

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Also likely immune to the trade talks at this point is Yoenis Cespedes, who could be heading to his fourth team since 2014 if the Detroit Tigers make good on their efforts to move him before the deadline.

Teams in the search of power hitting are stumbling upon the 29-year-old as a move that could make sense as the next step to reach the postseason. His prowess has been on display by winning the Home Run Derby two years in a row in 2013 and 2014, and he's remained consistent this season with 17 home runs and 61 RBI.

But just 3.5 games out of the wild card themselves entering the deadline, the Tigers aren't too keen on dealing Cespedes without the proper return. That isn't looking likely to come from one of his biggest suitors, the Baltimore Orioles, as Heyman reported:

One team not-so-secretly looking for some able bats to spur them to the postseason is the New York Mets, who are set in their pitching rotation but not anywhere else. They have made a late move for Cespedes as Rosenthal reported:

The Mets' late pursuit of Cespedes quickly follows an apparent snag in talks with the Cincinnati Reds about slugger Jay Bruce. As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported, the Reds had second thoughts about a Mets package on the table, and talks lost momentum.

Cespedes supplies a potentially elite bat to the lineup for any team that trades, but it could be nothing more than a rental with free agency looming for the Cuban, who is nearing the end of his four-year deal. If an organization makes the jump for Cespedes before the deadline, it will simply be a gamble on his bat for the remainder of 2015.