TORONTO -- MLS champion Toronto FC started work on next season's roster Thursday, declining contract options on eight players.

While goalkeeper Mark Pais, defenders Brandon Aubrey and Oyvind Alseth, midfielders Sergio Camargo, Armando Cooper and Benoit Cheyrou and forwards Ben Spencer and Tsubasa Endoh did not have their options renewed, the club said they will "likely" be invited to training camp.

With the exception of Cooper and Cheyrou, the players whose options were not picked up saw little or no action. Only Cooper made a significant salary at US$202,333 with most of the rest at or near the league minimum.

But the moves give GM Tim Bezbatchenko some room, at least in roster numbers. Also Alseth, Cheyrou, Cooper and Endoh are international players and those spaces will be prized next season with an influx of targeted allocation money likely to be used on talented imports.

Toronto did exercise the options on goalkeeper Alex Bono, defender Justin Morrow, midfielders Jonathan Osorio and Jay Chapman and forward Jordan Hamilton.

The 11 players already under contract for next season were goalkeeper Clint Irwin, defenders Ashtone Morgan, Chris Mavinga, Nick Hagglund and Nicolas Hasler, midfielders Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado and Victor Vazquez and forwards Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Tosaint Ricketts.

That makes 16 players locked up for 2018, when TFC will carry a roster of 28 to 30.

Defenders Drew Moor, Steven Beitashour and Jason Hernandez will be out of contract at the end of the year and eligible for free agency. Defender Eriq Zavaleta will also be out of contract but is not eligible for free agency.

Moor said this week he expects to return this season and it's likely the club wants all four back. It has already made an offer to Zavaleta, who was a solid starter this season. Hernandez, while 34, is cheap, reliable and well-respected.

Beitashour is more of a wild card. An elite wingback/fullback who made a hefty $264,000 this season, he may be becoming too expensive for Toronto. As a free agent, the 30-year-old can look elsewhere and history shows he is not willing to take less than what he believes he is worth.

TFC also has Hasler waiting in the wings.

Toronto is the league's biggest spender when it comes to payroll and, like other teams, will have more money at its disposal next season.

As it did this year, the league is giving each team $1.2 million per season in both 2018 and 2019 in so-called targeted allocation money. But it is also allowing clubs to top that up with an additional $2.8 million of their own money each of those years.

Given teams are allowed to spend the 2019 league allocation ahead of schedule next season, Toronto would have $5.2 million in TAM to spend in 2018, likely using the money to pay down the acquisition cost and/or salary cap hit of an elite talent who does not have designated player status.

Teams can use TAM to take a player making as much as $1 million and reduce his cap hit to $150,000.

Toronto did that this season with Vazquez, whose salary was listed at $700,000.

Of the players whose options were not picked up, Cooper played the most. The Panamanian international made 10 starts and another nine appearances in an up-and-down season.

Still Cooper made his presence felt off the bench in last Saturday's MLS Cup final victory over Seattle. His stoppage-time shot hit the goalpost and bounced back to Vazquez to knock in for the insurance goal in the 2-0 win.

Bezbatchenko is talking to Cooper's agent and hopes to have the Panamanian back if the right number can be found.

The 36-year-old Cheyrou, who normally serves as Bradley's midfield deputy, had a season disrupted by injury. He had one goals in 13 appearances (seven starts).

The classy Frenchman is expected to join the club in some kind of coaching role, although Bezbatchenko declined to speculate on Cheyrou's future at his end-of-season availability Tuesday, saying he wanted to leave those details up to the player to announce.

Spencer had two assists in three games (two starts) while Endoh had one assist in four games (three starts). Alseth made four starts earlier in the season.

Pais, Aubrey and Camargo spent the season with TFC 2, although Pais trained with the first-team 'keepers. Given Aubrey and Camargo were exposed in this week's waiver draft, they may not be back.

Toronto FC's 2018 Current Roster

Goalkeepers (2): Alex Bono, Clint Irwin

Defenders (5): Nick Hagglund, Nicolas Hasler, Chris Mavinga, Ashtone Morgan, Justin Morrow.

Midfielders (5): Michael Bradley, Jay Chapman, Marky Delgado, Jonathan Osorio, Victor Vazquez.

Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco, Jordan Hamilton, Tosaint Ricketts.