PHOENIX -- There will be a day when D-backs general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo look back at the 2024 season and remember the progress that was made and the five-win increase from '23.

That day was certainly not Tuesday, when the pair sat down for their annual end-of-the-season media session, the sting of missing the postseason by a single game still needing to be processed. The D-backs had shown up to Chase Field on Monday with their bags packed for Milwaukee, needing either the Mets or Braves to sweep their doubleheader in order to make the postseason. Instead, Arizona watched in the clubhouse as the two teams split the twin-bill.

"We should be in Milwaukee, and we're not," Hazen said. "And we play this game to play in the playoffs. We're aware that we improved our win total by five, year over year, and there's something there, but this is a fairly binary situation in my mind, which I know is not what everybody really wants to hear, but it is. Torey and I share similar sentiments on this, that we should have made the playoffs, and we didn't. And it's pretty disappointing, quite frankly."

Here's a look back at the 2024 season:

Defining moment
For the second straight year, the D-backs faltered in the final week of the season, and while their four-game losing streak to end 2023 didn't prevent them from making the postseason, losing five of their last seven in '24 did.

One more win was all the D-backs needed, and if there is one game they will all look back on with regret it will be the Sept. 22 game at Milwaukee when they let an 8-0 lead morph into a 10-9 loss. Arizona then returned home and lost two straight games to the Giants.

"Coming back home from Milwaukee on that day, I was very curious to see how this team would respond," Lovullo said. "And we had a couple days where I think we were hungover, so that's something I wish we had cycled through. But I think something happened to this team from that game. That's my gut feel."

What we learned
The D-backs have a core of players they can continue to build on, and despite missing the postseason, this is arguably a better team on paper than last year's version.

Corbin Carroll battled back from a brutal start to the year to finish with good numbers and will be a force in the lineup for years to come. Ketel Marte built off his 2023 NLCS MVP Award to reaffirm he's one of the best players in the game.

Young pitchers like Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson took big steps and should be fixtures in the rotation going forward.

Best development
Hazen has long lamented the lack of consistency from the offenses he's built since taking over after the 2016 season. But in '24, the offense jelled and led all of baseball in runs scored.

While free agents like Joc Pederson, Randal Grichuk and Christian Walker could depart, there is still plenty of firepower left, including third baseman Eugenio Suárez, whose $15 million option almost certainly will be picked up for 2025.

Area for improvement
On paper, Arizona's rotation looked formidable entering the season. When Jordan Montgomery signed the day after Opening Day, it gave the D-backs six starters they felt they could rely on with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Pfaadt and Nelson.

Injuries and struggles by Montgomery hampered the D-backs throughout the season, and what was thought to be a strength turned into their biggest weakness. If Montgomery exercises his player option, the D-backs figure to bring the same cast back for next year and will have to hope they are healthier and perform more as expected.

On the rise
Right-hander Justin Martinez showed more command of his 100-plus mph fastball and devastating split. He's got future closer written all over him, and with free agent Paul Sewald's expected departure, Martinez is someone who could hold that role down going forward.

Team MVP: Ketel Marte
Marte was a legitimate NL MVP Award candidate until missing nearly a month from August into September. He played the best defense of his career, while also carrying the offense at times.

¡°His skill set is pretty rare in the game,¡± Hazen said. ¡°I mean, being a switch-hitter who¡¯s proficient at both sides, plays in the middle of the diamond ... you just don't run across players like that all that often."