TORONTO -- The Blue Jays are happy to have Gregg Zaun back as their starting catcher, but the club wouldn't mind if he sticks to his day job.

Zaun, who re-signed with Toronto on Tuesday, acted as his own agent in discussions with the Blue Jays this offseason. The decision to represent himself turned out to be more difficult than Zaun anticipated, and it nearly cost him a chance at coming back to Toronto.

"I hope he continues to play," Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said with a smile at a press conference for Zaun on Wednesday. "But I definitely hope he stops being an agent."

Toronto signed Zaun to a two-year contract worth $7.25 million that includes a vesting option for 2009. The 35-year-old catcher is scheduled to make $3.5 million in '07, $3.75 million in '08, and he would make another $3.75 million in '09 if he reaches 270 games caught over the next two seasons.

Ricciardi and Zaun needed about an hour on the phone late Monday night to reach that agreement. Earlier that day, Zaun wasn't even sure where he'd find work for the upcoming season. T.R. Lewis, one of Zaun's representatives who helped with discussions with a few teams, was preparing to fly to New York on Tuesday to entertain the idea of Zaun being the backup catcher for the Yankees.

After Zaun turned down a two-year offer worth around $6 million, Toronto turned its attention to free-agent catcher Rod Barajas. The Jays reached a two-year agreement with Barajas, but he backed out at the last minute after changing agents.

That's when Ricciardi called Zaun and worked out the new deal.

"I was already answering questions about my departure and it was sad for me," Zaun said. "I was a little caught off guard at first. I thought he was calling me to tell me that the deal with Rod was done and we weren't going to be working together anymore.

"I sure was pleasantly surprised to hear the news that there was still an opportunity to come back," he added. "After I had thought for a couple days that [the door] was closed, I was pretty determined to figure out how we were going to come to some sort of agreement."

What if Zaun didn't agree to the new contract?

"My 10-year-old can catch," Ricciardi joked. "I don't know what our alternative was at that point."

If Zaun's playing career lasts beyond his new contract, he'll probably be letting an agent do the talking for him. He found out the hard way that working out a deal isn't a simple task.

"People warned me. They said, 'You're crazy. You're not going to be able to do this,'" Zaun said. "We hit a snag. One of the hard things is sometimes you don't want to hear the truth or somebody else's perception of it.

"I think I'll probably give up the agent business -- that's for sure," he added. "I found out that these guys play rough in the deep end. It's not a business that I want to be in."

Ricciardi wanted to make it clear that Zaun was always Toronto's No. 1 choice, but the Jays were willing to look elsewhere when the catcher turned down the initial offer. The Jays GM also wanted to let Zaun know that the process was strictly business -- a fact that can get lost when a player represents himself.

"I told him right from the beginning, I said, 'Zaunie, I'm just going to tell you right now, you can't take any of this personal,'" Ricciardi said. "It's not personal. It's just business. I think he found that out."

Zaun just wanted to make sure he got a good contract after his performance over the last three seasons. Last year, he set a career high with 12 home runs despite being limited to 290 at-bats in a split role with catcher Bengie Molina. From 2004-05, Zaun played in 240 games after spending the previous nine years as primarily a backup.

"Ultimately, they made me feel like a priority," Zaun said. "All I wanted was a little recognition from these guys internally for what I've been through the last couple of years and the hard work and the effort. That's ultimately what I got.

"As it is with some families, you have disagreements and arguments sometimes," he continued. "But in the end, you find a way to get along and be together. That's what this is for me."