Dickey’s true value showing

TORONTO— R. A. Dickey had a terrific stint with the Mets, but his legacy with the organization might be the trade value he established.

The veteran knuckleballer will pitch Thursday at Rogers Centre in his first appearance against the Mets since getting traded to the Blue Jays in December 2012.

It was a deal that netted Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud, two important pieces to the Mets in their quest to build a perennial contender.

Dickey went 206 with a 2.73 ERA for the Mets in 2012 to win the NL Cy Young award.

“The year he won the Cy Young, we weren’t in the hunt,” manager Terry Collins said before the Mets faced the Blue Jays on Wednesday. “What he brought back has allowed us to be in the hunt, so I think his value, what he provided for this organization, was a chance to move a guy and move the organization forward.

“He was a huge asset to the organization and one of the great stories in all of baseball.”

The 40yearold Dickey is 26 with a 5.29 ERA this season. Few of Collins’ players have faced a knuckleball pitcher.

Daniel Murphy’s “target date” for a return is Tuesday, according to general manager Sandy Alderson. The Mets originally hoped to have Murphy on Saturday, when he is eligible to come off the disabled list. Murphy, who has been recovering from strained left quadriceps, went 1for3 as the DH in an extended spring game Wednesday in Port St. Lucie.

Collins wasn’t concerned about the Mets playing two games on artificial turf. The Blue Jays and Rays — both of whom the Mets rarely face — are the two remaining clubs in the majors without grass fields.