CHICAGO -- While the Chicago White Sox might have finished 2015 with three more victories than they had the previous year, the club still seemed to regress this past season. The White Sox were the darlings of the offseason last year, along with the San Diego Padres, after a bevy of moves improved the roster at face value. But as both clubs quickly found out, it takes a lot more than promising new faces to have success on the field.

Don’t be surprised to see the White Sox get creative with whatever roster shuffling they do this winter. In their attempts to get better this winter, they aren’t necessarily expected to increase payroll.

The White Sox’s top 10 things to watch for this winter:

10. Deciding Montas’ future: The Mets just rode some hard-throwing right-handed starters into the World Series, and the White Sox have one of those on the way in 22-year-old Frankie Montas. But the White Sox are known for making relievers out of their starters first, meaning that Montas could wind up in the bullpen for 2016. Right-hander Matt Albers was a nice find last offseason, but he is a free agent now and is expected to pursue setup-man money on the open market. That means Montas could be targeted for a specific bullpen role next season. A return to the rotation could always happen in the future.

9. A new right-hand man: With Mark Parent’s exit at bench coach, manager Robin Ventura will have somebody new to bounce ideas off of in 2016. Former San Diego Padres bench coach and Chicago Cubs manager Rick Renteria is reportedly the man for the job. Along with his baseball acumen, Renteria also fits one of the club’s objectives of having a high-profile coach that can speak Spanish. The official announcement is expected soon.

8. Getting an even closer look: Those non-roster invitations for Sox farmhands to big league camp in spring training won’t come out until the start of the new year, but the name of shortstop Tim Anderson is expected to be in the bunch. Anderson was invited to big league camp last year, but his stay was short. But it did happen to be the start of a year that saw him blossom with 38 extra-base hits, a .312 batting average and a .350 on-base percentage at Double-A Birmingham. His stay in camp this year figures to be much longer.

7. Trayce Thompson’s emergence: Thompson’s arrival and performance in the second half of 2015 only beg for the White Sox to give him an extended chance. Every facet of his game was on display after his early-August arrival, from power to speed to defense. Would the White Sox be willing to shop Melky Cabrera or Avisail Garcia in order to free up a regular spot in the lineup for Thompson? On defense, Thompson could rate higher as a center fielder than Adam Eaton, but Thompson’s overall game better translates to a corner outfield spot than Eaton’s does.

6. Making third base a top priority: One of two obvious areas the White Sox could stand to improve is third base. An upgrade with a slick-fielding, power-hitting third baseman is what is desired; the only problem is that many teams have an identical need. There is a clear shortage of classic third-base types in baseball, making it a hard commodity to come by. As it stands now, Mike Olt, Tyler Saladino and Matt Davidson are the White Sox’s options heading into 2016. Expect the club to exhaust all options in finding somebody to add to that mix.

5. Unmasking a catching option: Along with third base, the catching spot is another area where the White Sox are expected to explore an upgrade. And as with third base, finding a complete catcher has been no easy task for a number of teams. Right now, incumbent Tyler Flowers is the top option. There is no doubt his offense is not anywhere near where the White Sox need it to be, but his strides on defense have been noted. Staff ace Chris Sale is a big Flowers advocate when it comes to pitch calling, and Flowers’ attention to pitch framing this past season did make a difference.

4. A No. 2 starter is still on the wish list: Erik Johnson proved that he is ready for another chance in the White Sox’s starting rotation, although he doesn’t seem to be the guy the club is looking for to slide in right behind Sale. Jeff Samardzija figured to be just the guy the White Sox needed for that job last year, but his body of work ended up being a disappointment. Spending big on a right-handed No. 2 starter doesn’t seem likely, so a trade figures to be the way the White Sox will handle this need.

3. Addressing the shortstop vacancy: Alexei Ramirez’s 2016 option was declined at $10 million, giving the White Sox a major hole to fill this winter. It’s possible that the team will end up turning to … Alexei Ramirez. It isn’t out of the question that Ramirez could sign with the White Sox for more guaranteed money, just for less than $10 million a year. The White Sox could also try Saladino as their shortstop until Anderson is ready, or they could pursue a short-term veteran fix.

2. Will the White Sox gamble on a Quintana trade? It’s not that the White Sox would want to trade left-hander Jose Quintana, but he could provide the best return in a deal. Outside of Sale and Jose Abreu -- who are not going anywhere -- Quintana is the player who could help the White Sox get that right-handed No. 2 starter they desire, and perhaps a prospect for the future could be had as well. The White Sox are loaded with top-of-the-rotation lefties in Sale and Carlos Rodon, which makes this move a possibility.

1. How creative will Rick Hahn get? The White Sox’s general manager seemed to fill a lot of needs in a short amount of time last winter, and he could be just as busy this offseason. Obviously last year’s moves did not work as the White Sox struggled early and never seemed to get on the same page. And while it would be easy to say that Hahn should just try it again, it won’t be that easy. Last winter the White Sox added to the payroll and this winter that option doesn’t figure to be available. If Hahn is reduced to the trade route to improve the roster, it increases the likelihood that a Quintana deal happens.