Jansen adds credence to Gagne's comeback bid: 'He doesn't look 40'

If Eric Gagne feels he's ready to return to Major League Baseball, mark Kenley Jansen down as a believer.

The retired Canadian pitcher recently expressed he was considering a major-league comeback, and after giving some of the Los Angeles Dodgers an inside look at his stuff while working out at the team's camp, Jansen was thoroughly impressed and surprised by the 41-year-old's arm.

"I'm telling you - he doesn't look 40 (years old) at all," Jansen told reporters Monday, according to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

"That was pretty impressive," he said about Gagne's quick session. "He said he's been throwing a lot lately but still. To come out here and be able to spot his fastball like that, mix in the curveball and change - that's pretty impressive."

Gagne has been working out at the Dodgers' camp this spring in an effort to prepare himself to pitch for Canada at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. But he says his agent, Scott Leventhal, is already reaching out to teams to gauge possible interest in the right-hander. Until something concrete takes shape, though, he isn't holding his breath.

"I'm hoping. I want to pitch," Gagne said, according to Plunkett. "Is it realistic? I don't know."

Gagne spent eight dominant seasons with the Dodgers from 1999-2006, posting a cumulative 3.27 ERA with 161 saves and a Cy Young award in 2003 before back injuries began to derail the Montreal native's career. After having an option declined by Los Angeles for the 2007 season, Gagne signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent before being shipped midseason to the Boston Red Sox. His final MLB season came with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.

Prior to officially announcing his retirement in 2010, he revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he had taken human growth hormone in the latter stages of his career to speed up recovery from a knee injury.