MIAMI -- Two noteworthy names were absent from the Marlins’ media day on Thursday at loanDepot park: ace Sandy Alcantara and slugger Jorge Soler.

While Alcantara poked his head out during a break from his workout, Soler continues to test the free-agent market. Miami will be without Alcantara for the entirety of the 2024 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

The Marlins reaching the postseason again in '24 will depend on whether the club can fill the void left by that pair. Even in a down season by his lofty standards, Alcantara tied with teammate Braxton Garrett for 15th in fWAR among National League pitchers. Soler ranked 10th among NL batters in slugging percentage (.512), and his 36 homers accounted for 22 percent of Miami’s total.

“I think we have a lot of opportunities to grow as a team,” said Josh Bell, who exercised his 2024 player option early in the offseason. “If each person gets a little bit better at what they're already really good at -- obviously, expect to have [Luis] Arraez hit at least .300, right? Guys like Jazz [Chisholm Jr.] continue to be electric. Get different leaps from guys like [Jesús] Luzardo and Braxton and [Jesús Sánchez] coming back.

“I think we have an awesome opportunity to continue to be that team to beat, to hold games close and come back late, have the right game plan for each starter and establish early leads. So hopefully if we get going in the right direction this year, we can go into the All-Star break, go into the Trade Deadline and make moves to help this team.”

Outside of Alcantara and Soler, nearly everyone is returning from the 2023 squad; plus, the Marlins can look forward to full seasons from middle-of-the-order bats Bell and Jake Burger, who were Trade Deadline acquisitions. Though Bell struggled with Cleveland, he went deep 11 times and posted an .818 OPS for Miami. Burger cut down on his White Sox strikeout rate, batting .303 with nine homers and an .860 OPS.

Then there’s the hope, as Bell noted, that the less-experienced guys will continue to develop.

Bryan De La Cruz, for example, finished with 19 homers -- tied for second most on the club behind Soler -- and a team-high 78 RBIs in a team-high 153 games as an everyday big leaguer for the first time. De La Cruz would like to bump those numbers up to 25 homers and 100 RBIs.

“My power, it's something that [I’m] just trying to know myself a little bit more, my body,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Will Nadal. “Just being able to recognize what pitches, where to make good swings, have that power just to be able to take it out of the yard.”

Miami got a taste of being without the services of Soler during a three-game series in Washington to open September, when the Marlins swept the Nationals by a combined score of 25-14. But it’s much different getting by for a short period of time rather than over the course of an entire season.

“Obviously, they pitch you a little different when you don't have Soler, who has the power he does behind you, but it's just trying to go out there and not trying to do too much,” said Burger, who homered twice and drove in three runs that weekend. “I think that's the thing: You're not trying to hit a five-run home run. Just be yourself. If you've got to take a walk, you've got to take a walk.”

That was the same weekend Alcantara first experienced discomfort in his right arm. Miami went 14-11 the rest of the way, clinching the second NL Wild Card spot. The challenge will be replacing his workload -- both quantity- and quality-wise -- over a 162-game schedule.

“I think just trust our routines, trust all the work we've put in,” said Garrett, who pitched 159 2/3 innings and would like to reach 180-200 in 2024. “I work out with Jesús in the offseason, so I get to see the hard work he puts in, and also just the example Sandy has set year after year. We get to see it, how hard he works, and we know what it takes. Although he's not here, he's set that example that we can follow -- and maybe not emulate and hold ourselves to maybe that high of a standard -- but just try and have that same mentality to try and take that ball and give our team every inning we can.”