PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Lieberthal had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, a standard procedure that isn't uncommon for a veteran catcher.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Steve Lombardo of the Kerlan-Jobe clinic in Los Angeles. Lieberthal is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

"It's a cleaning-out procedure," said assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "It's not a structural thing. It's just something that happens to a guy who's been catching for 15 years or so. I think Mike will be healthier as a result."

Health is a relative term as it relates to Lieberthal. While the 33-year-old hasn't spent a day on the disabled list since the 2001 season, he's had recurring discomfort in his knee. This year was no different. Nevertheless, Lieberthal played in 118 games and batted .263 with 12 homers. He struck out 35 times, a career low for a full season.

For the second straight season, he was especially good in September. He batted .304 with 10 RBIs in the final month, including one game in October.

Meetings over: The Phillies concluded three days of organizational meetings on Thursday. Many subjects were covered, but much has yet to be discussed.

"We heard a lot of ideas," Amaro said. "We heard a lot about where we stand with regard to our scouting and player development. We know we have to improve to be a championship-caliber club. We're close, and have to explore every avenue to get better."

Though Amaro declined to give specifics, the most pressing topics revolved around what to do with Jim Thome and Ryan Howard. Should the Phillies deal Thome? Try Howard in left field again? If he works out there, is Pat Burrell then shopped? Is Ryan Madson a starter in 2006, after two years of pitching well out of the bullpen? If so, who will fill out the bullpen, other than Aaron Fultz and Rheal Cormier?

"We addressed a lot of different things," Amaro said. "We're going to keep our eyes open with regard to trades and free agents. There are a lot of different ways to improve your club, and we're going to explore every one of them. Our goal is to get to the World Series."

Amaro reiterated that a championship-caliber club starts with a dominating closer, and he hopes to hear soon from free agent Billy Wagner. The Phillies made a second proposal to Wagner on Tuesday, but haven't received a formal response from Wagner's camp.

"Our main priority remains Billy Wagner," Amaro said. "Hopefully, we can get it done. He jumps to even a higher priority because he's one of the best free agents out there, and one of the best closers in the game. But if we can't get it done, we'll have to pick ourselves up and go from there.

"We have other things we need to address, but we're going to keep those close to the vest. We'll deal with those as we get further into the offseason."

Duquette out of the picture? Former Mets senior vice president of baseball operations Jim Duquette is headed to Baltimore in the same position, it was announced Thursday, taking him out of the running for the Phillies GM job.

Duquette had been thought to be high on team president David Montgomery's list of potential candidates. Other names mentioned include Gerry Hunsicker and Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

Cashman's contract with the Yankees expires Oct. 31, and it doesn't appear that he'll be granted permission before then to meet with other teams. Meanwhile, Phillies assistant GMs Amaro and Mike Arbuckle remain as in-house candidates.

Amaro interviewed with the Orioles over the weekend, and may be a candidate in Arizona as well.

Since his business cards still say Phillies, he remained mum on the subject.

"I haven't heard anything," Amaro said. "I'm gainfully employed by the Phillies. But the fact is that if somebody presented an opportunity for me to be a GM, I would welcome it."

That includes the Phillies. Amaro has been handling much of Wade's tasks since Wade was dismissed last week, including negotiating with Wagner and running this week's meetings.

"It's not a secret that I would love to be the GM of the Philadelphia Phillies from now until the end of time," Amaro said. "But David has to make a decision based on what he thinks is best for the organization. I understand that. That said, I think I'm the guy for the job."