PHILADELPHIA -- Everyone is waiting for the Phillies to make their first move in a highly anticipated offseason, but at the very least, Philadelphia will clear room for at least one more player on its 40-man roster by 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
First baseman Justin Bour will not be tendered a contract. He has already cleared waivers. The Phillies could have released him, but teams cannot re-sign players they release in the offseason. While it seems highly unlikely Philadelphia will re-sign Bour at any point, especially with Rhys Hoskins and Carlos Santana still on the roster, the Phils can at least keep their options open.
Bour is the only certainty to be non-tendered, but right-hander Luis Garcia and left-hander Luis Avilan are candidates worth watching.
Garcia, 31, went 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA in 59 appearances last season. He made $1.2 million and posted a 3.51 FIP, which means there is a chance the Phillies could roll the dice to see which Garcia shows up in Spring Training.
Avilan, 29, posted a 3.18 ERA in 12 appearances with the Phillies after being acquired on Aug. 22 in a trade with the White Sox. He made $2.45 million, but the Phils are pursuing free-agent left-handers Andrew Miller and Zach Britton, which could make Avilan expendable.
Outfielder Aaron Altherr, 27, struggled last season, batting .181 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs and a .628 OPS in 285 plate appearances, but Philadelphia likes his upside enough to bring him back. Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, 28, has missed much of the past two seasons because of injuries, but when he is healthy, he has been effective.
Other arbitration-eligible players include right-handers Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Hector Neris, left-hander Adam Morgan, and infielders Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco. They will be tendered deals.