UPDATE: Gomes told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he is not retiring. With conflicting reports out there, it's important to clarify my earlier report.
Gomes and his camp have been in touch with multiple clubs about front office positions since he returned from Japan, according to sources. Teams that are interested in hiring Gomes for one of these roles have been told that he has retired.
A source involved in these talks told me point blank Wednesday that the outfielder was retired, leading to my report. It makes sense that Gomes would publicly deny this, keeping all options open for his future.
Gomes declined comment when reached Wednesday night. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL: Veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes has decided to retire, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. Gomes recently returned to the United States after a brief stint with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.
Gomes, 35, retires after 13 major-league seasons with the Rays (2003-08), Reds (2009-11), Nationals (2011), Athletics (2012, 2014), Red Sox (2013-14), Braves (2015) and Royals (2015). He received two World Series rings (in 2013 with Boston and in 2015 with Kansas City), and participated in four of the last six postseasons.
For his career, Gomes posted a .242/.333/.436 line with 162 home runs and 526 RBI in 1,203 games. Originally an 18th-round pick of the Rays in 2001, Gomes has been known as one of the game's premier clubhouse leaders throughout his career, causing contenders to acquire him in late-season trades in both of the last two seasons.
Gomes hit just .169/.280/.246 with one home run in 18 games in Japan before deciding to return to the United States earlier this month. At the time of his return, he reportedly was open to a major-league comeback, though that possibility appears to no longer exist.
Gomes' last moment as a major-league player came in early November, with his memorable speech at the Royals' World Series rally in Kansas City (via FOX Sports):