As the Red Sox and Yankees gaze at the presents under their Christmas trees, it looks as if the Red Sox are getting Scrooged in comparison.

They have signed just two new players, a 36-year-old catcher in A.J. Pierzynski and reliever Edward Mujica, while they re-signed Mike Napoli, all for under $50 million.

Not quite bah humbug, but not deck the halls, either.

And then there’s the On-Donner-and-Blitzen Yankees, who have Jacoby Ellsbury . . . and Carlos Beltran . . . and Brian McCann . . . and Hiroki Kuroda . . . and Brian Roberts . . . and Brendan Ryan . . . and Kelly Johnson . . . and Matt Thornton, all purchased for $316 million.

Wow-wee, those Yankees are lucky tykes, aren’t they?

If you’re envious, then you’re being blinded by the sparkle from the new baubles. There are many thinly disguised long-term issues that the Yankees will have to address before too long.

In the meantime, behind the Red Sox’ thriftiness, all is much brighter.

Sure, the Sox do not know where their next young ace is coming from, but aside from that significant shortcoming, their long-term outlook is far cheerier and upbeat than the Yankees in terms of money and young talent, which are only the two most important and interrelated variables of a baseball franchise in the long term.

According to salary-tracker Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Red Sox so far have $154.9 million committed to their 2014 payroll, which isn’t that far behind the $177.7 million the Yankees will shell out. The Sox’ figure would increase if they sign free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, but the team otherwise looks to be done with its serious shopping. After slipping just under the $178 million luxury tax threshold this year, the Sox now have enough breathing room to not worry about the $189 million threshold set for next year, plus they still have room to make a significant acquisition.

Looking further ahead, the sun will keep shining on the Red Sox. In 2015, the club has only $63 million in contract commitments. That number dips to $13 million in 2016, with Dustin Pedroia’s eight-year extension the only long-term deal still on the books that season and looking forward.

The Yankees?

In 2015 alone, they have $127 million already on the books — $51 million more than the Red Sox have from 2015 through infinity. In 2016 the figure dips slightly to $123 million; in 2017, it’s $64 million, in 2018, it’s $38 million and in 2019, it’s at $21 million.

So, maybe the average Yankees fan is not all that worked up about having $373 million worth of contracts on the books after next year. After all, co-owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have spent lots of money for lots of years and have had lots of championships to show for it — except for lately.

The fact that the club is rather desperately hoping that Alex Rodriguez receives one of those triple-life suspensions so it can lop off the $90 million remaining on his deal is understandable. The trio of Ellsbury, Beltran and McCann will produce at the plate, no denying that, but the Yankees will be old in 2014, and nobody’s talking much about the fact that Mariano Rivera, who notched 44 saves last year, is not coming back. David Robertson is a good reliever but there’s as much uncertainty about him producing as there is about the status of Derek Jeter’s ankle, which is to say a lot.

All this teeth-gnashing about the Yankees and their payroll would be a lot less dire if the franchise had a back-up plan in terms of youngsters coming up on the farm. If the estimable and reliable Baseball America is correct about these matters — and it usually is — the Yankees have only a middling farm system.

It’s ranked 16th in all of baseball.

The Red Sox?

Their system is ranked No. 1. They have Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. ready to go for next season in the infield and outfield, respectively, and a crop of promising starters ready to plug into the rotation in the short term.

This is a jolly time of year for the Red Sox, fresh off a World Series title and with a promising future. It’s not about the quantity of presents, or how much they cost.

Sometimes quality is more than enough.

Here’s the ticket

There may be no greater stocking stuffer than a ticket to the Boston Baseball Writers’ Annual Dinner the year after a World Series championship. This year’s dinner is the 75th edition, the diamond anniversary of a storied tradition. Among the honorees expected at the head table are Billerica’s Tom Glavine, a potential first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2014; Red Sox manager John Farrell; general manager Ben Cherington; and the Mets’ Matt Harvey (the New England Player of the Year). The dinner is set for Jan. 23 at the Westin Copley Place. Tickets, priced at $200 apiece, or $2,000 for a table of 10, are available online at The Sports Museum website or by phoning 617-624-1231.

A strong left hand

In the wake of the Yankees’ signing of Thornton to a two-year deal worth $7 million, it is not too soon to begin placing spherical objects in the left hand of your infant son or daughter. Thornton’s deal is proof positive that being an OK southpaw is the same as a golden ticket. Thornton was not very helpful to the Red Sox’ postseason drive after arriving in a late June trade. He did battle injuries, so his 1.761 WHIP and 3.52 ERA do not reflect his real worth, right? After 10 seasons, Thornton’s career ERA is 3.53, and his career WHIP is 1.288. . . .

There will be curiosity, or at least a day’s worth of stories out of Fort Myers in February or March, when we find out which Red Sox pitchers, if any, decide to wear non-mandatory headgear designed to protect pitchers from line drives. Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy, victim of a fractured skull when he took a liner off the head, told Fox Sports that baseball likely will approve equipment meant to absorb the blow of a batted ball and reduce the chance of a concussion or more severe injury.

“It looks ridiculous and we get so used to the way things look,” McCarthy said.

Cash earned, sought

The average major league salary last grew 5.4 percent from 2012, the largest percentage increase in seven years. The average salary is now $3.39 million. . . . .

Juan Gonzalez is auctioning off his 1996 American League MVP award on an auction website. He signed it, “My original” on the back. On the same site, Livan Hernandez is auctioning his 1997 World Series Most Valuable Player award, as well as his 1997 World Series ring. . . . .

Call it the Nick Punto Effect, but Dodger Stadium drew the most fans of any ballpark last season, with 3,743,527 coming to Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers also ranked first in fan engagement on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.