Could a bronze statue of Joe Maddon be plopped right next to Ernie Banks and Ron Santo outside Wrigley Field one day???
Ex-MLB stud Sean Casey certainly thinks so ... 'cause the former Reds great tells TMZ Sports Maddon is more than deserving of the honor!!!
"One day they might have a statue outside of Wrigley 'cause of what he did for that organization, man," Casey says.
Of course, Maddon -- who brought the Cubs a World Series title in 2016 -- ended his tenure as Chicago's manager over the weekend after just 5 seasons.
But, when we got Casey with fellow ex-big leaguer Kevin Millar out in NYC ... he told us 65-year-old Maddon had such an impact on Chicago in that short time frame, he'll always be a Cubs hero.
"Any time that guy comes into Wrigley, standing ovation," Casey says. "That guy will forever be a legend."
We also asked Casey and Millar for their opinions on the MVPs ... and while their NL picks weren't shocking -- ya gotta hear who they think deserves the award over Mike Trout in the AL!