MINNEAPOLIS -- After being consumed with a managerial search for most of October, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine used this week's General Managers Meetings in Carlsbad, Calif., to get a better feel for free agency and the trade market.

It's going to be an intriguing offseason for the Twins, who have more payroll coming off the books than any other club in the Majors, and they have several holes to fill on the roster. The club plans to get creative this offseason, and the GM Meetings were the perfect way for the front office to meet with other clubs and agents before the Hot Stove begins to heat up.

"We really used this time to meet with all 29 clubs in some form or fashion and a lot of the agents who are representing some of the free agents," Levine said. "It's been real fact-finding for us. Our vision is to meet with our pro scouts and analytics guys and really start tackling a plan. We gave a plan to ownership before we arrived, but now we have a chance to really refine it."

The Twins have several needs, as they are in the market for starting pitching, bullpen help, two infielders and possibly even a catcher. They've expressed interest in lefty J.A. Happ in the early going and plan to check in on just about every available free-agent starter. But the Twins aren't going to spend money for the sake of spending it, as they're trying to build a sustainable winner and could be more aggressive in future offseasons.

"We've got a lot of financial flexibility, which is a great place to be as a franchise," Levine said. "We're taking the temperature on what it takes to acquire players, but we're also looking at a longer timeline. We're looking at a three-to-five-year stretch where we want to be competitive in the American League Central. We have some resources in terms of financial flexibility and a farm system that is starting to mature and grow."

As Levine pointed out, the Twins are taking more of a long view, as they have a young core of players that includes Miguel Sano , Byron Buxton , Eddie Rosario , Jorge Polanco , Max Kepler and Jose Berrios , as well as top prospects on the way such as middle infielders Royce Lewis, ranked as the club's No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and Nick Gordon (No. 4), outfielder Alex Kirilloff (No. 2) and right-hander Brusdar Graterol (No. 3).

Sano and Buxton both took steps back in 2018, which is a major reason why the Twins didn't perform to expectations, and they're counting on that duo to lead them back to competitiveness more so than adding several expensive free agents this offseason.

"There's no player we're going to acquire in the free-agent market who has the upside of Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton," Levine said. "I'm not putting the weight of the world on their shoulders, but they have the most ability to make an impact on our fortunes in 2019, and we're very optimistic about those guys. We have every confidence they're going to be major contributors and if they are -- and a few of our other young players take a step forward -- I think we have a chance to surprise people again."

Falvey echoed that statement, as he believes the best way to build a winning franchise is to add to the young core already in place, and having that financial flexibility will make it easier to accomplish their goals.

"We view it the same way every year," Falvey said. "To be successful, we need to build around our core. Our core has to continue to grow and develop. A few took a step back last year and we know that. But we view free agency as a supplement to building a good team and not the primary driver. But because we do have more flexibility than a year ago, we're going to have open-minded conversations about anybody on the board."

So while the Twins aren't expected to be interested in premium free agents such as Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, they're going to check in on just about every other free agent. It'll be interesting to see how they decide to supplement the infield, as they traded both Eduardo Escobar and James Dozier at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Escobar has already re-signed with the D-backs, while first baseman Joe Mauer will announce his retirement with a news conference on Monday.

"As it stands in our mind, we have two open slots in the infield," Falvey said. "Where those are is probably a little bit in question. Jorge, we believe is a shortstop, but he can play second, and we know Miguel can play third and first. So we'll be creative if we find the right fits."

Rhett Bollinger has covered the Twins for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @RhettBollinger and Facebook.