New Chicago Cubs infielder Alex Bregman talks to media after a news conference in Chicago on Thursday. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bregman was clear and concise. His biggest priorities are his family and winning baseball games.

Bregman’s wife, Reagan, and sons, Knox and Bennett, watched from the front row on Thursday as he detailed his reasons for signing with the Chicago Cubs in free agency. He displayed his other priority on the back of his new pinstriped jersey.

“I wore No. 3 because I wanted a third championship,” Bregman said.

That obsession with winning, and all the ways it affects the players around him, was a major reason why the Cubs went out of their comfort zone to reel in the All-Star third baseman with a $175 million, five-year contract.

The deal includes a no-trade provision and $70 million in deferred payments. The Cubs have deferred money before — namely in contracts for outfielder Jason Heyward and pitcher Jon Lester that helped the team win the 2016 World Series — but nothing like the number they went to for Bregman.

That’s how much they wanted him.

“When you do make a significant commitment to a player, you want to make sure that the person and the player are both at the highest level, and with Alex, we know that,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said.

Hoyer has been following Bregman’s career from afar for more than a decade, long before the infielder was selected by Houston with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft — one spot behind current Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Bregman, who turns 32 in March, played his first nine seasons with the Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022 — although the first of those was during a sign-stealing scandal that earned Bregman and his teammates plenty of scorn.

He also was pursued by Chicago before he signed a $120 million, three-year contract with Boston last February, a deal that included opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

“You sort of heard stories about his level of confidence,” Hoyer said.

When Bregman returned to free agency after batting .273 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in his only season with the Red Sox, the Cubs went after him again. Their consistent pursuit meant something to Bregman, and their previous conversations helped lay the groundwork for their new partnership.

“From the beginning of the offseason, the Cubs expressed to me that they wanted me to be here, and they were committed to that, committed to my family,” Bregman said. “Yeah, I cannot wait to get to work with all the guys on the team in that clubhouse and hopefully win a lot of baseball games and build something really special for a long time to come.”

He isn’t wasting any time, either. Shortly after the deal was completed, Bregman asked for reports on his new teammates and a meeting with the organization’s minor league staff. He wanted to make sure he was talking about the right things with other players.

He has connected with several of his new teammates already, including Swanson, pitcher Jameson Taillon and outfielders Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong. He’ll have an opportunity to speak with more players at the team’s annual fan convention this weekend.

“It’s been fun,” Bregman said. “I feel like you can sense the excitement here not only from the Cubs fans, but also the players. They’re very excited as well, and that’s good.”

Bregman went to Hoyer’s office on Wednesday to make sure he was OK with him playing for the United States in the World Baseball Classic. Hoyer said he responded positively, and Bregman assured him he will visit Chicago’s spring training complex in the mornings to be around his new team.