LOS ANGELES -- Eric Gagne, whose legacy as the greatest closer in Los Angeles Dodgers history was sullied somewhat when his name appeared in the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, has decided to retire, according to a report by the French-Canadian website RueFrontenac.com.

The report comes less than a month after Gagne failed in his comeback bid with the club as a non-roster invitee to spring training. MLB.com reported the story, citing the French-language site's interview with Gagne, who lives in Phoenix area but is originally from Montreal.

After pitching last season for the Quebec Capitals in the independent Can-Am League, Gagne signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in February and came to big-league spring training, where he admitted that his career had been tarnished by the Mitchell report and eventually told the Los Angeles Times that he had used human growth hormone.

After a handful of Cactus League appearances, it became clear that Gagne wasn't ready for major league competition. He initially agreed to go to minor league camp and try to work his way back to that level, but the Dodgers released him -- technically at Gagne's request, although the release would have come even if he hadn't asked for it -- on March 22.