Today's schedule and important Rule 5 decisions

Today is the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to their free agents, leaving the Orioles with important decisions on outfielder Mark Trumbo and catcher Matt Wieters.

Trumbo led the majors with 47 home runs and it wouldn't make any sense for him to take the $17.2 million and re-enter the market next winter. His value is going to be higher? This is his time to cash in and he's going to do it.

The Orioles figure to make him the offer, attempt to re-sign him to a multi-year deal and take the draft pick if they fail.

Wieters proved to teams that he's fully recovered from ligament-reconstructive surgery, the primary reason why he accepted the offer last year and earned $15.8 million. He's the top catcher on the market, but the Orioles are debating whether to make the offer.

Would he really take another one-year deal? I don't see it happening.

Agent Scott Boras talked up Wieters again yesterday on MLB Network Radio.

"You really have to go back to the early 2000s to find the type of Gold Glove, 20-home run free agent catcher Wieters is," Boras said.

Does this sound like an agent who endorses the qualifying offer?

The Baseball Writers' Association of America's awards finalists will be revealed tonight at 6 p.m. on MLB Network.

The Orioles already have made some adjustments to their 40-man roster, with their free agents coming off it and outfielder Joey Rickard and left-hander Chris Lee added to it by being reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.

More moves are coming, and not only because they're going to acquire players before opening day.

Some of their own players will need to be protected in the Rule 5 draft, and the Orioles are in the process of making a decision on Double-A pitcher Stefan Crichton.

They assigned Crichton, 24, to the Arizona Fall League for that exact reason.

"The decision to send Crichton was to see him compete against the higher level of competition," said director of player development Brian Graham. "He's a guy we have to make a decision on for the major league roster this winter and it helps seeing him against that level of competition."

What they're seeing is a pitcher who hasn't surrendered an earned run in his first eight appearances with the Peoria Javelinas. Crichton, a 23rd-round pick in 2013 out of Texas Christian University, has allowed eight hits, walked none and struck out six in nine innings.

"Crichton's always had a good arm," Graham said. "He has a good pitcher's body. He has a good delivery. The ball comes out of his hand well. He just never had real good numbers."

Crichton was 2-6 with a 3.73 ERA and one save in 48 games this summer with the Bowie Baysox. He gave up only four home runs in 72 1/3 innings.

In four minor league seasons, Crichton has gone 11-16 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 109 games and 219 innings. Not bad at all, but his early results in Arizona suggest he can do better.

"Sometimes, you wonder how such good stuff doesn't translate," Graham said. "That comes down to fastball command. Some guys you've got to be careful with because if that fastball command improves and it clicks in, you have a pretty good major league pitcher."

Crichton has made only 10 starts in the minors and he's viewed as a reliever going forward.

"I see him as a sixth- or seventh-inning guy. Fastball, slider in the sixth or seventh inning," Graham said.

"He has a live arm, plus fastball, there's good sink when it's down. Slider has good action across the zone. This guy has a good arm and a live body."

Crichton isn't the only prospect who may be moved to the 40-man roster. The Orioles figure to protect 21-year-old pitcher Jesus Liranzo, who registered a 1.87 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 27 combined relief appearances at Single-A Delmarva and Bowie. He struck out 66 batters in 53 innings.

It's hard to imagine a major league team keeping Liranzo in its bullpen for a full season, but the Orioles probably won't chance it.

Liranzo was shut down after only one appearance in the AFL due to a sore shoulder.

Bowie reliever Jimmy Yacabonis, 24, also must be protected or the Orioles risk losing him. He went 2-4 with a 2.64 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 50 combined games at Single-A Frederick and Bowie. He struck out 67 in 64 2/3 innings.

It's impressive to note that Yacabonis was a 13th-round pick in 2013 and the Orioles grabbed Crichton in the 23rd round in the same draft. Liranzo was signed as an undrafted free agent.

There's value beyond the first few rounds.

Note: Orioles center fielder Adam Jones raised $50,000 yesterday for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore at his annual #StayHungry Purple Tailgate party at M&T Bank Stadium.