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TORONTO — Marcus Semien’s time in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform was brief.

He spent even less time in the actual city, playing only 36 home games inside Rogers Centre while bashing 11 of his 45 home runs — a new record for MLB second basemen — in front of sparse, pandemic-limited crowds.

His only year with the Jays also ended in heartbreak on the final day of the regular season.

Safe to say, there was a lot for the 31-year-old to unpack when his season ended in the blink of a Rafael Devers blast last October and he quickly went off into free agency seeking the long-term deal he couldn’t find in January of 2021, which forced him to take the one-year prove-it deal that worked out extremely well for both sides.

And prove it Semien did, finishing third in American League MVP voting and generating 6.6 Wins Above Replacement.

“What an experience,” said Semien, who returned as a Texas Ranger on Thursday after signing a massive seven-year, $175-million deal back in November. “Only being two months, it was still a very wholesome experience to come here and play baseball in front of fans who care so much. Of course, we had the most talented team in the major leagues, and we played some really good baseball down the stretch. Came up a little bit short but you see what the organization over there is doing to get better. I’m really happy to be back and it’s a great place to play baseball.”

Before he turned his attention to free agency and where he wanted his family to set down roots for the foreseeable future, he, like every Jays player, lamented some of the losses that left them one win short of the postseason.

“You look back at the games earlier in the season that you want back, but that’s how it goes when you miss it by one game,” Semien said as the Rangers began their team workout ahead of Friday night’s opening day clash with his former team.

“There’s so many different things that come up in a season that you wish you had the moment back to focus on the attention to detail or whatever play it was or whatever bad bounce could’ve went your way. But at the end of the day that organization over there will learn from it and focus a little bit more, I’m sure, and they’ll build.”

Semien believed there was a chance of a Toronto reunion early in the off-season, but the Jays were never going to be able to match what he ultimately signed for with the Rangers, a club that also spent $325 million on shortstop Corey Seager.

“We talked the entire off-season, it just didn’t pan out,” Semien said of the Jays’ interest. “But that stuff happens. That stuff happens in free agency. That’s why you call it free agency. At the end of the day, my family and I are happy to be where we are.”

His lone season in Toronto helped him produce the gaudy numbers needed to secure his massive payday, but Semien noted the organization’s commitment to the daily process behind the scenes.

The much-maligned “high performance department” that was panned by former veteran stars like Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki was something that Semien took to immediately.

A difference of opinion or improved ways of doing things?

It’s an interesting wrinkle.

“It meant a lot,” Semien said. “I built a routine to keep my body healthy here and that’s something Toronto does a really good job of with the strength and conditioning staff and the training staff and the dietitian and the food they give you. They do it right. Places I’ve been before, I learned a lot of things and brought them here, but the things that I learned here I’m going to carry with me for the next seven years.”

Another interesting wrinkle is the fact the man tasked with replacing some of Semien’s offensive production is another former Oakland Athletic and a friend in Matt Chapman, who the Jays acquired in exchange for a four-player package headlined by 2021 first-round pick Gunnar Hoglund.

“They get a leader,” Semien said. “Matt Chapman came up as a rookie in Oakland in 2017 and became a leader immediately, and you don’t see that every day. His defence is all-world, his power is through the roof, his health is better than it was last year. He’s an MVP type of player and you plug him into a team that’s already a favourite. It’s going to be fun for him.”