Josh Hamilton in Boston?

Would Josh Hamilton be a fit for the Red Sox? For the first time, a respected Boston columnist like Nick Cafardo seems to think of it as a possibility. Hamilton's stats are remarkable. In six years in the big leagues, he has averaged 35 homers, 38 doubles, 122 rbi's, a .304 batting average, a .549 slugging percentage- on and on it goes. He led the AL in rbi's in '08 with 130 and in '10 won both the batting title (.359) and the slugging percentage title (.633). He was 2010 MVP and has been a five-time all-star. A great all-around athlete, Hamilton has been called a "five-tool player."
 
There is no doubt that Hamilton is the top free agent on the market. Rumors abound that despite his 31 years, he is asking for a 7 or 8 year contract in the area of $175 million. Cafardo writes that if the Sox could get him down to five years, Ben Cherington might go for it.
 
I agree with Cafardo that to contend again, the Boston lineup "needs a superstar". But Hamilton now? If this were 2008, it might be okay. However, in the Sox' present situation, a man with Hamilton's baggage is a huge risk. I wrote recently that Jarrod Saltalamacchia is one of the few team members who is "baggage-free". The malaise has affected almost everyone, from ownership to front office to players. The scary thing about Hamilton, who missed three full seasons (03-05) with assorted substance abuse problems, is that he has at least twice relapsed. Despite apparently turning his life around (how often have we heard that?), thanking God, writing the customary autobiography and making speeches, he was involved in a nightclub incident in '09 and again in February of this year when he held a news conference for apologize for using alcohol.
 
Cafardo quotes a Hamilton friend as saying "as long as you have a support system in place, he'll be fine." But what happened in Hamilton's "slips"? Where was the support system then?
 
Josh Hamilton has the capacity to make the Sox instant contenders. But he also has the capacity to drown in assorted difficulties and take some already shaky Sox players with him. I would rather see a youth-oriented Boston club battle toward .500 than go the old quick-fix superstar route. Let a more stable franchise take a chance on Hamilton- he is one potential problem John Farrell does not need.