TAMPA — The first word out of Hal Steinbrenner’s mouth when asked if Yankee ownership has turned cheap is “Wow.”

To him, it is like asking a tall man why he is so short, a smart person why he is so dumb.

“Our payroll is at $235 [million],” he said during an exclusive 30-minute sit-down with The Post. “That is about as high as it has ever been. And on top of that add the roughly $30 million we spent last [July] when we saw a pretty good foreign market, one of the best there has been and we got six or seven of the top 10 or 11 guys. So there is money spent for not just now, but the future.”

This is life as the Yankees’ owner. You are either justifying why you spent too much last year (when there was criticism of investing $458 million on four huge free agents and blowing by the $189 million luxury-tax dream) or you are defending why you did not spend more this offseason on Max Scherzer or James Shields, and let Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada end up with the Red Sox.

Steinbrenner, sitting in a fourth-floor conference room in a stadium named for his dad, remained calm in listing facts that dispute the “cheap” tag. There is the payroll and the money spent internationally. There is the $100 million-plus spent on free agency this offseason, fifth-most of any team. As opposed to last offseason, a large chunk of payroll did not vanish. In fact, with Alex Rodriguez back, the payroll went up. There is the largest check any team must write annually for revenue sharing. There is the debt that must be paid on a stadium, the construction of which ownership funded.

As for Moncada, the Yankees were at a $12.5 million bid for most of the process and Steinbrenner authorized a doubling of that to $25 million over the weekend (which with the 100 percent penalty for being over the international pool for spending meant it would be $50 million). But the Red Sox went to $31.5 million ($63 million with the penalty).

“For Moncada, that was just how far I was going to go for a player who is 19 years old and at least two years away from the majors with all the uncertainties that can happen with a prospect even that good,” Steinbrenner said. “It was a hell of an offer. It might have ended up at $35 million if I continued to be in it. You can’t gauge how much someone else wants him. I can only make a sound judgment as how far I should go for a 19-year-old that is two years away, maybe three years away from contributing to the major league club. Right or wrong, everyone has their opinions.”

Even without Moncada, Steinbrenner repeatedly praised prospects such as Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Rob Refsnyder, who he believes will begin breaking in over the next two years (he cited Severino, in particular, for having a chance this season) and help bring down payroll in the next few years while filling the roster with talent.

He acknowledged the volatility of believing in prospects, but said their results to date, health and makeup have him believing this is not just hype or hope. However, he did caution about ramifications if this group does not fulfill its promise.

“It will be a test, not so much for [manager Joe] Girardi, but for [general manager Brian Cashman] and his people and his minor league people if these minor leaguers do not pan out not because of injury, but if they end up not being as good as everyone says. That is something every owner would have to look at.”

But even if there is minimal help from the farm in 2015, Steinbrenner is not abandoning the historic expectations of his family.

“It would be horrible not to make the playoffs three years in a row,” Steinbrenner said. “We’d be embarrassed. So anything [as far as firings or restructuring] would be on the table, yes.”

Steinbrenner, though, explained he is an optimist. He expects the rickety rotation to stay healthy and the mid-order bats of Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira to rebound, and both to be supported by an upgraded bullpen and defense and, therefore, a title to be within the Yankees’ reach.

And just to come full circle, he insists he didn’t pull in the reins financially and rather authorized another large payroll because he wants to go for a parade.

“Do I think it is intelligent to end up at a $270 million or $280 million payroll? I never have,” he said. “It doesn’t make me right. But I never have. So having the payroll right now about as high as it has ever been, it is not my preference, but I certainly was willing to do it to put together a championship-caliber team. … People might laugh at me, but I do think we can win a championship if we stay healthy.”