When it comes to pulling off a trade, three is sometimes not a crowd but a necessity.

While almost all deals involve two teams working out an exchange, sometimes the addition of a third brings some previously absent element into the mix that allows everyone to get what they want. It also makes things a bit more complicated, and perhaps more exciting, for fans, as they try to figure out who got the upper hand.

With that in mind, here is a look back at 12 of the most significant three-way trades from recent history -- plus a bonus four-teamer.

Dec. 12, 2022: Murphy to Atlanta; A's receive Braves' top prospect ... again

BRAVES GOT: Sean Murphy (from OAK)
BREWERS GOT: William Contreras (from ATL), Justin Yeager (from ATL), Joel Payamps (from OAK)
A's GOT: Manny Piña (from ATL), Esteury Ruiz (from MIL), Kyle Muller (from ATL), Freddy Tarnok (from ATL), Royber Salinas (from ATL)

About nine months after the A's acquired catcher Shea Langeliers -- the Braves' No. 1 prospect entering 2022 -- Oakland sent its star backstop to Atlanta. And part of the return was Muller, the Braves' No. 1 prospect at the end of 2022. Murphy, a popular name on the trade block in recent seasons, was coming off a year in which he recorded a 120 OPS+ while ranking near the top in multiple defensive metrics. The 24-year-old Contreras was an All-Star in the previous season as he hit 20 homers in just 376 plate appearances. Aside from a veteran catcher in Piña, Oakland received a package of prospects. Tarnok was the Braves' No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Salinas was No. 18. Ruiz, whom Milwaukee gained from San Diego in the Josh Hader trade, was ranked No. 8 in the Brewers' system.

July 30, 2019: Bauer out of Cleveland
INDIANS GOT: Yasiel Puig (from CIN), Franmil Reyes (from SD), Logan Allen (from SD), Victor Nova (from SD), Scott Moss (from CIN)
PADRES GOT: Taylor Trammell (from CIN)
REDS GOT: Trevor Bauer (from CLE)

A day before the 2019 Trade Deadline, and six years after Bauer arrived in Cleveland in another three-team trade (see below), he left the Indians in the same manner. Looking to cash in on their All-Star right-hander before he entered his final season of club control, Cleveland sent him to Cincinnati while bolstering its outfield with a pair of heavy hitters: Puig and Reyes. While Puig became a free agent after the 2019 season, Reyes recorded 30 homers with an .846 OPS over 115 games in 2021. The Padres later traded Trammell to the Mariners with Ty France, Luis Torrens and Andrés Muñoz in a deal that brought catcher Austin Nola and relievers Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla to San Diego.

Dec. 13, 2018: Switching sluggers
INDIANS GOT: Carlos Santana (from SEA), Jake Bauers (TB)
MARINERS GOT: Edwin Encarnación (from CLE), competitive balance pick, cash
RAYS GOT: Yandy Díaz (CLE), Cole Sulser (CLE)

As part of their offseason restructuring, the Mariners took Santana as part of a deal with the Phillies, then flipped him (and the two guaranteed seasons left on his contract) for Encarnación (and his one season). Meanwhile, the Indians reunited with Santana, who had been a big part of the team's success before signing with Philly after 2017. This deal also featured an intriguing exchange of talented but relatively unproven young hitters, with Bauers going to Cleveland and Díaz to Tampa Bay. Santana made his first All-Star team in '19, while Encarnación had only a short stint in Seattle before being traded again, to the Yankees.

July 30, 2015: A baker's dozen
BRAVES GOT: Héctor Olivera (from LAD), Paco Rodríguez (LAD), Zachary Bird (LAD), competitive balance pick (MIA)
DODGERS GOT: Alex Wood (ATL), José Peraza (ATL), Bronson Arroyo (ATL), Luis Avilán (ATL), Jim Johnson (ATL), Mat Latos (MIA), Mike Morse (MIA)
MARLINS GOT: Victor Araujo (LAD), Kevin Guzman (LAD), Jeff Brigham (MIA)

This ludicrously complicated deal stands out more for its sheer size and strangeness than any impact it had on the field. Of the 13 players involved, Wood provided far and away the most production for his acquiring team, becoming a key rotation piece in L.A. for three-plus seasons before being traded to the Reds. Notably, Peraza became part of another three-team deal less than six months later, going to Cincinnati as part of a transaction that also involved the White Sox acquiring Todd Frazier.

Dec. 9, 2014: Trea to D.C. -- eventually
NATIONALS GOT: Trea Turner (PTBN from SD), Joe Ross (SD)
PADRES GOT: Wil Myers (TB), Ryan Hanigan (TB), José Castillo (TB), Gerardo Reyes (TB)
RAYS GOT: Steven Souza Jr. (WSH), Jake Bauers (SD), René Rivera (SD), Burch Smith (SD), Travis Ott (WSH)

While it could be viewed as two distinct trades, this deal was effectively a three-way concoction -- and one that might leave a bad taste for fans of the Padres and Rays. That's because of the emergence of Turner, who was selected 13th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft and could not be officially included in the trade until a year after that, under the rules in effect at the time. Turner became a star shortstop and one of MLB's top basestealers in Washington. Both Bauers and Souza since have been involved in other three-team trades, with Souza going to Arizona in February 2018, and Bauers to Cleveland as noted above.

Dec. 5, 2014: Didi to NYC
D-BACKS GOT: Robbie Ray (from DET), Domingo Leyba (DET)
TIGERS GOT: Shane Greene (NYY)
YANKEES GOT: Didi Gregorius (ARI)

This was Gregorius' second big three-teamer in two years (see below), and it thrust him into quite a spotlight. Derek Jeter had just wrapped up his career in the Bronx, and the Yankees needed a shortstop. Gregorius stepped in admirably for five seasons before departing as a free agent. Ray made an All-Star team with Arizona in 2017 and later found success with the Blue Jays, leading the AL in ERA, WHIP, innings and strikeouts in 2021. Greene also earned an All-Star selection, representing the Tigers on the AL roster in 2019.

July 31, 2014: Tigers meet Rays' Price
MARINERS GOT: Austin Jackson (from DET)
RAYS GOT: Willy Adames (DET), Drew Smyly (DET), Nick Franklin (SEA)
TIGERS GOT: David Price (TB)

The prize of the Trade Deadline, Price ultimately spent exactly one year in Detroit before he was dealt to Toronto in 2015, but he gave the Tigers a 2.90 ERA over 32 starts. Adames helped the Rays reach the World Series in 2020, but Tampa Bay traded him to the Brewers for relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen in May 2021 to clear a path at shortstop for top prospect Wander Franco.

Dec. 11, 2012: Didi, Part I
D-BACKS GOT: Didi Gregorius (from CIN), Tony Sipp (CLE), Lars Anderson (CLE)
INDIANS GOT: Trevor Bauer (ARI), Bryan Shaw (ARI), Matt Albers (ARI), Drew Stubbs (CIN)
REDS GOT: Shin-Soo Choo (CLE), Jason Donald (CLE)

Quite a bit of talent changed hands in this trade, which featured two of the same teams, and one of the same players, as 2019's Deadline deal. Cleveland made out particularly well, taking advantage of Arizona's impatience with Bauer (the third overall pick in 2011) and also landing Shaw, who became a key bullpen piece for the next five seasons. Cincinnati only got one season of Choo before he reached free agency, but it featured a .423 OBP. Gregorius' tenure in the desert also was brief, as previously discussed.

July 31, 2010: Klubot, activate
CARDINALS GOT: Jake Westbrook (from CLE), Nick Greenwood (SD)
INDIANS GOT: Corey Kluber (SD)
PADRES GOT: Ryan Ludwick (STL)

St. Louis got a solid veteran starting pitcher in Westbrook, while Ludwick struggled in San Diego. Kluber wasn't a household name at the time, as a former fourth-round pick who was in Double-A, but just four years later he was the American League Cy Young Award winner.

Dec. 8, 2009: Max value
D-BACKS GOT: Ian Kennedy (from NYY), Edwin Jackson (DET)
TIGERS GOT: Max Scherzer (ARI), Austin Jackson (NYY), Phil Coke (NYY), Daniel Schlereth (ARI)
YANKEES GOT: Curtis Granderson (DET)

This is just a fun trade all around, though less so for the D-backs, who got decent value over three-plus seasons from Kennedy and a no-hitter from Jackson while giving up too early on Scherzer. The 11th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft made only 37 starts for Arizona before continuing his development in Detroit, where he won his first Cy Young Award in 2013. The Tigers came away with not only Scherzer, but five seasons of a valuable starting center fielder (Jackson). Granderson put together four productive seasons in the Bronx -- including two with 40-plus homers -- before moving on to the Mets.

Dec. 11, 2008: "It was a mess"
INDIANS GOT: Joe Smith (from NYM), Luis Valbuena (SEA)
MARINERS GOT: Franklin Gutierrez (CLE), Jason Vargas (NYM), Aaron Heilman (NYM), Endy Chavez (NYM), Ezequiel Carrera (NYM), Mike Carp (NYM), Maikel Cleto (NYM)
METS GOT: J.J. Putz (SEA), Sean Green (SEA), Jeremy Reed (SEA)

Over a decade later, it's hard to say this was a true blockbuster. Smith's "mess" assessment -- shared with MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince -- seems more accurate. But this massive deal executed at the 2008 Winter Meetings remains fascinating. It ultimately backfired on the Mets, who got little from Putz, previously a top closer in Seattle. Smith, Vargas, Gutierrez, and the late Valbuena went on to greater success afterward, though none of the dozen players involved was bound for stardom.

July 31, 2008: Mannywood is born
DODGERS GOT: Manny Ramirez (from BOS)
PIRATES GOT: Brandon Moss (BOS), Craig Hansen (BOS), Andy LaRoche (LAD), Bryan Morris (LAD)
RED SOX GOT: Jason Bay (PIT)

Ramirez's highly successful and tumultuous tenure in Boston finally came to an end, as he was shipped off to L.A. The immediate result was an all-time great stretch run that included a .396/.489/.743 slash line and 17 home runs in 53 games. The Sox didn't come away empty-handed, either, as Bay posted a 36-homer, 119-RBI season in 2009. No such luck for the Bucs, with only Moss going on to success ... after he'd moved on from Pittsburgh.

July 31, 2004: Tour de fource
CUBS GOT: Nomar Garciaparra (from BOS), Matt Murton (BOS)
EXPOS GOT: Alex Gonzalez (CHC), Brendan Harris (CHC), Francis Beltran (CHC)
RED SOX GOT: Orlando Cabrera (MON), Doug Mientkiewicz (MIN)
TWINS GOT: Justin Jones (CHC)

While this technically wasn't a three-team trade, it's certainly worth mentioning here, as a rare example of a deal that required more than three clubs to complete. It took place a month after Carlos Beltrán went from the Royals to the Astros in a three-way transaction that also had major postseason implications. In this case, Garciaparra was the biggest name involved, as a five-time All-Star and two-time batting champion. But Cabrera brought a steadier glove at shortstop and played well in his short stint in Boston before leaving as a free agent. Mientkiewicz secured his own place in Sox history, catching the final out of the 2004 World Series at first base as the club snapped its infamous championship drought.